Prospects for Nuclear Risk Reduction in Southern Asia

Michael Krepon

Michael Krepon is co-founder of the Stimson Center and a Diplomat Scholar at the University of Virginia. He is author of Better Safe than Sorry: The Ironies of Living with… Continue reading Prospects for Nuclear Risk Reduction in Southern Asia read more

The earliest years of offsetting nuclear weapon capabilities between rivals can be the most harrowing. India and Pakistan have certainly followed this pattern. But over time, rivals can moderate their competition, especially with regard to nuclear weapons. Formal arms control treaties, like those negotiated between the United States and the Soviet Union, are unlikely for southern Asia. India and Pakistan can, however, employ tacit agreements, confidence-building, and nuclear risk-reduction measures to allay mutual concerns over nuclear weapons. Forward progress on this agenda will likely be constrained by extremist acts linked to Pakistan and political instability there.