As India marks the 50th anniversary of Pokhran I, we remember that India's journey towards becoming a nuclear power in a hierarchical world has not been an easy one. Finding a place worthy of respect in the nuclear order meant finding the right balance between power and principle and finding the optimal alignment between the three dimensions of state power-political, technological and diplomatic.
The dawn of the nuclear age preceded independent India's ability to shape its contours. India's calls for nuclear disarmament, cessation of nuclear testing and the arms race-articulated strongly by prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru since the early 1950s-barely had an impact on the efforts of the nuclear powers to shape the nuclear order in their own image. When the draft of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was finalised in 1967, India's interests were largely ignored. Even though India had acquired by then the ability to reprocess plutonium, the lack of other technological requirements to make a bomb and the fact that the country had not tested a nuclear device weakened its campaign to have its interests protected in the treaty.
Fortunately, prime minister Indira Gandhi took the decision not to sign the NPT. The first Pokhran nuclear test on May 18, 1974, was a major milestone. Indira Gandhi deserves credit for taking the plunge, which previous prime ministers had avoided. The successful test demonstrated that technologically India's nuclear capabilities had matured, backed by a political decision that overcame numerous organisational, ideological and moral considerations that had held India back.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 09, 2024-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 09, 2024-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Crowning Glory
Kohli had to be Kohli to help India win the final
Are Fish Oil Supplements Good For The Heart?
A new study that assessed the benefits of fish oil supplements has yielded mixed results.
Ah, Class Act!
Grace, power and clarity-Rohit Sharma's qualities make him, to borrow a Mumbai cricket term, the quintessential valli' player
Fear and the fearless pose
#FerozKhanKaPota was trending on X; so, naturally, I thought Fardeen Khan’s son was making his Bollywood debut.
Mumbo jumbo in the Maldives
Political folklorists say, there’s a charmed circle around every powerful person.
Back to battle
While BJP has the edge in the assembly bypolls, the Trinamool hopes to ride the momentum from the Lok Sabha elections and keep the four seats
TWO OF A KIND
As Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar try to get the better of each other, Karnataka Congress is a divided house
Broom and bust
Beset by legal woes, political setbacks and a leadership vacuum, the AAP faces a credibility crisis
Pants on Fire!
The recent presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was a sorry spectacle that ended with two old men being childish about their golf handicaps.
NO COUNTRY FOR LOVE
Roshan Mathew decided to act in Paradise after a five-hour conversation with its director