|
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: PD John, Executive Director,
Date: July 18, 2002
Time 11 AM
Pakistan and India and the Bomb – what next?
At a July 18th Symposium on South Asia, sponsored by the Policy Institute for Religion and State and
organized by Executive Director PD John, the Pakistan/India nuclear issues were discussed by a panel of experts chaired by Senator Sam Brownback who is very concerned about the situation in South Asia:
Dr.
Shaw of the IRPP noted that the addition of nuclear weapons to the arsenals of India and Pakistan made South Asia the most dangerous place on earth. Further, some continue to argue that nuclear weapons have
stabilized relations between the two and enhanced the security of each.
Admiral. Ramdas, India pointed out, “For all the pronouncements of nuclear doctrines and ‘no first use,’ the reality is that the command
and control systems on both sides are primitive to say the least, thereby, adding an even more dangerous dimension to the entire situation.”
In addition, Dr. Nayyer Ali covered the issue of “no first
use”.
“In nuclear rivalries, the stronger conventional power will usually offer a “ no first use” pledge while the other party will offer a “no war” pledge, but must maintain a credible threat of nuclear weapons use in case of catastrophic defeat in a conventional war. This has been the case in South Asia… But given the nature of these weapons, it is hard to foresee any situation in which a sane leader would use the devises. They remain instruments of mass murder and Apocalypse, and deterrence in theory and practice should be approached from the perspective that weapons will never be used. To do so would demonstrate the utter failure of a nation’s foreign policy.”
Dr. Granoff noted, “Sophisticated geopolitical analysts failed to adequately anticipate the testing of nuclear weapons and the subsequent creation of hazardous nuclear arsenals in South Asia during the last
decade of the 20th century. The methodologies used to predict the conduct of States and peoples neglected an important intellectual tool, which, when used sparingly, can yield extraordinarily accurate results. For
lack of a more erudite description I will simply call this tool common sense” he said.
Other topics covered by the panel included the religious dimension of the conflict, the fact that nuclear arsenals are
unavoidably attended by a possibility of accidental or unauthorized use, including the possibility that a terrorist organization could acquire a nuclear weapon or material; and that the 1998 nuclear tests in South
Asia struck a major blow against the global nonproliferation regime upon which the security of the Region.
Copies of the talks are available upon request.
|
