Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons

Veda VN

• Publisher: KW Publishers
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9789386147943
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

The ascent of China in the global power structure has become a dominant issue in contemporary geopolitics. China has been expanding into all major realms through which it could achieve its geopolitical ambitions. The outer space, where a growing number of nations have been trying to establish their foothold has therefore become a key strategic realm for China to enhance its Comprehensive National Power. China has now emerged as the leading space faring nation in Asia, and has passed well over four decades of achievements in space. From a modest satellite programme, China has come a long way and have expanded its scope to include areas like manned spaceflight, lunar exploration and commercial services; the last decade especially seeing a tremendous advancement in China's space related technological capabilities. Along with its scientific, developmental and commercial applications, China has also been utilizing space for military purposes. The increase in the space capabilities of China has created concerns on space as well as global security, as these capabilities are of dual purpose. These concerns have hit anew high with the anti-satellite test conducted by China in 2007. In this context, it becomes important to assess the overall capabilities that China has acquired in the space domain. Through this work, the author has attempted to assess the key developments in China's space sector – both civilian and military through both longitudinal as well as cross sectional analysis. The transformation of these capabilities as tools for international diplomacy by China in order to further its geopolitical goals has also been explored. Due to the largely opaque nature of China's space programme, obtaining credible information has been difficult. Most of the available literature on the subject is from the Western sources, and therefore the author has endeavoured in bringing in a balanced perspective by complementing them with official Chinese sources as well as some own assessments. At the same time, the author has tried to highlight an Indian perspective with a focus on comparative capability analysis as well as policy recommendations with respect to its India's space industry.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Evolution of Pakistan’s Nuclear Programme
• 2. Pakistan’s Nuclear Doctrine and Strategy
• 3. Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons’ Command and Control Structure
• 4. Security Concerns/Threats
• CAPS ‘Non‐ Resident Fellowship’ Programme on National Security