Deciphering India's Nuclear Strategy: A Realist Perspective

Vishakha Sharad Patil

Deciphering India's Nuclear Strategy: A Realist Perspective

Author(s)	Dr. Vishakha Sharad Patil
Country	India
Abstract	Nuclear weapons have proved to be a source of deterrence in terms of managing national security. The international security situation has been volatile since the end of the Second World War, which created a security dilemma among nation-states, rendering the erstwhile architectures of security either obsolete or demanding periodic evaluation and evolution. China’s nuclear test in 1962 created a heightened sense of insecurity in the minds of policymakers in India, coupled with the accentuating Sino-Pakistan strategic nexus. India's scientific community and political leadership in the early years realised the power of the atom. The development of atomic power was not only crucial for the development of nuclear energy but also acted as the technological feeder and launchpad for larger external security concerns. Although the Pokhran I test was categorically characterised as a 'peaceful nuclear explosion' by India, it decisively led to the initiation of the production of the bomb, which was manifested in the Pokhran II tests in 1998. The explosion of the bomb had far-reaching consequences on India's economic as well as political engagements with the rest of the world. Despite the threat of sanctions, India decided to march ahead with the test, which proved to be one of the dynamic and necessary decisions in India's foreign and security policy, leading to what is termed deterrence. Since the 1998 test, India's strategic engagements have been dependent on how India takes on the nuclear conundrum with the rest of the world, especially with arbiters of the global non-proliferation regime, navigating the maze of proverbial strategic autonomy successfully. The paper aims to explore the various facets of India's nuclear policy in terms of the realist framework of international relations. The paper analyses India's changed image in the global scenario post the test and the civil nuclear deal with the United States. Further, the paper contends that India has achieved the security objective of the dual-use program and is yet to achieve and further the energy objective as envisaged by our founding fathers. For the research, both primary and secondary sources have been referred to. Interviews, government policies, and documents form the primary sources, while newspaper articles, magazines, and books form the secondary sources for the study.
Keywords	Nuclear Strategy, National Security, Deterrence, Realism.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-10-30

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Deciphering India's Nuclear Strategy: A Realist Perspective

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