Book Description

Since India began developing its nuclear program it has continually encountered issues with the United States and other nuclearized countries over whether India should be able to establish a nuclear program, and subsequently a nuclear weapons program. Over the past 60 years, the Indio-U.S. relationship has swung from supporting India's nuclear ambitions to employing sanctions over nuclear weapon testing. Since the attacks of September 11, the U.S. has paid closer attention to the South Asian region, balancing their policies between the needed Pakistani support for the Global War on Terror (GWOT) with the desire to maintain India as an economic partner and leverage against Chinese regional influence. This monograph, “The Evolution of India's Nuclear Program: Implications for the United States,” examines the evolution of India's nuclear program as it developed from the 1940s through the 1990s and the current nuclear capabilities that they now possess. In addition, discussing the various U.S. reactions and policies during the time period as they relate to India is important to understand the relationship that currently exists between the two countries. As it approaches its seventh decade, the Indian nuclear program continues to develop improved weapons technologies with the potential to proliferate nuclear material to other countries, how should the U.S. address the various issues that have promulgated over the past 60 years as they relate to the future? In developing this strategy, the U.S. government should examine the past administrations policies towards India since 1947 in order to develop a comprehensive strategy that utilizes all the instruments of national power that will encourage India to become a responsible stakeholder among the nuclearized countries and demonstrate the responsibility that goes along with nuclear technology. In delving into these past policies, the government will be more able to develop an understanding of the Indian psyche as it relates to the way the U.S. has traditionally dealt with its country. As India continues to develop into a regional power, interaction with the U.S. becomes increasingly important, and the U.S. reactions to Indian endeavors in the nuclear field will permeate throughout the discussions between the two countries.