Abstract :
The protracted conflict between the US and the former USSR demonstrated that deterrence
stability is improved by détente. South Asia?s environment is characterized by mutual hostility;
conventional military balance tilting in favor of India; and lack of a transparent and nonaggressive nuclear doctrine. The aforementioned factors are the missing components of détente.
Both the provocative Indian expansion in its nuclear weapons programme, and Pakistani
retaliatory notion of the short-range weapons option, is problematic not only in the South Asian
context, but also contradictory to the decades-long experience acquired during the Cold War.
Pakistan and India must move towards nuclear CBMs, doctrinal clarity, and risk-reduction
measures in the light of new technological advancements, and changing US role in the region.
Keyword :
Strategic Stability, South Asia, Deterrence, Crisis management, Nuclear Doctrine