Paper short abstract:

In this paper, I analyze India’s relationship with the United States and China, along with its relationship with other emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, and South Africa to explicate trends in its nuclear policy objectives.

Paper long abstract:

For India's political leadership, nuclear power has repeatedly symbolized a path to international influence. India's nuclear policies over the years paralleled its evolving foreign policies, its emerging global ambitions and, in a sense, its ever-changing definitions. Jawaharlal Nehru's civil nuclear energy policies aimed at projecting India as a model for developing nations, just as his policy of 'non-alignment' attempted to position India as a Third World leader. Indira Gandhi's nuclear tests, undertaken under the codename 'Smiling Buddha,' like her military intervention in East Pakistan, sought to establish India as the leading regional power in South Asia. Similarly, the BJP's nuclear detonations in 1998, aptly designated 'Shakti,' symbolized its ambitions to revive India as a militant Hindu nation with power commensurate to its historical standing.

Where does India stand today with respect to its nuclear policies? On one hand, India will soon complete its nuclear triad by operationalizing its Arihant set of nuclear-powered submarines. This accomplishment, coupled with increased geopolitical concern about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear warheads, suggests a potentially pivotal role for India's future nuclear policies. On the other hand, nuclear policies appear to have taken a backseat compared to the economic and financial policymaking goals of the government. I argue that the key to demystifying India's nuclear policy objectives lies in understanding the role that it currently envisions for itself at the global stage. In this paper, I analyze India's relationship with the United States, China, and other emerging economies to explicate trends in its nuclear policy objectives.