Averting Armageddon

Sumit Ganguly

Archive data: Person was Distinguished Visiting Fellow at IDSA Sumit Ganguly is a Professor of Political Science, the Director of the India Studies Program and holds the Rabindranath Tagore Chair… Continue reading Averting Armageddon read more

It is a little-known fact that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India had proposed a ‘standstill agreement’ to prohibit the further testing of nuclear weapons as early as 1953. In effect, it was an initial step toward a comprehensive ban on the testing of nuclear weapons with the aim of their eventual elimination. That goal, of course, has proven to be quite elusive. Despite the conclusion of a Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963, pursuing a comprehensive test ban remained a chimera as new nuclear powers entered the global arena and a spate of nuclear tests ensued.