Book Review: MANAGING INDIA’S NUCLEAR FORCES
book-reviews, international-affairs, politics
VICE-ADMIRAL Verghese Koithara examines, critically and with clinical thoroughness, India’s nuclear doctrine and the management of its nuclear forces. He points out the shortcomings and proposes remedial measures. His style, free from jargon, is a study in plain, robust English. His logic is sharp and he never misses the big picture. India acquired nuclear weapons primarily to take care of its security needs. The political leadership of the day might have wanted to make a political statement or to derive domestic political advantages. But, the primacy of the security consideration cannot be questioned. If the nuclear weapons in India’s possession are to add to its security, it should manage the nuclear forces more rationally and coherently. This is the fundamental message of the book. It should be read by those who are responsible for India’s nuclear policy. The strategic community and the general public interested in security questions will find in it much food for thought. Koithara does not practise circumlocution even for a moment. “For a variety of political and organisational reasons, India is saddled with a nuclear force management system that is seriously inadequate for the work it needs to do,” he writes (emphasis added throughout). The author mentions two reasons for such a state of affairs.
(more…)
Latest Articles
SRI LANKA: QUESTIONS AND LESSONS
International Affairs: Articles December 26th, 2022
Arab Spring or Islamic winter? KP Fabian’s new ‘was and wasn’t’ book answers this question
Books August 19th, 2022
‘They should have asked students to get out of Ukraine weeks ago’
International Affairs: Articles March 08th, 2022
The Ukraine Crisis & Operation Ganga
International Affairs: Articles March 05th, 2022
Domestic affairs, Politics January 27th, 2022
My Favorite Links
Archives
- 2022
- January 2022 (1)March 2022 (2)August 2022 (1)December 2022 (1)
- 2020
- January 2020 (1)March 2020 (2)April 2020 (2)May 2020 (3)
- 2019
- June 2019 (1)December 2019 (1)
- 2018
- January 2018 (1)February 2018 (1)May 2018 (1)October 2018 (3)
- 2017
- August 2017 (1)
- 2016
- July 2016 (2)November 2016 (1)
- 2015
- January 2015 (1)
- 2014
- February 2014 (1)March 2014 (2)June 2014 (1)July 2014 (2)August 2014 (1)December 2014 (1)
- 2013
- May 2013 (1)July 2013 (1)August 2013 (1)September 2013 (1)
- 2012
- March 2012 (2)July 2012 (1)
- 2011
- February 2011 (1)
- 2010
- July 2010 (1)November 2010 (3)
- 2009
- March 2009 (6)April 2009 (1)October 2009 (3)