Dr. Rizwana Abbasi and Dr. Zafar Khan, Nuclear Deterrence in South Asia: New Technologies and Challenges to Sustainable Peace

Abstract

Nuclear Deterrence in South Asia: New Technologies and Challenges to Sustainable Peace is a co-authored book by Dr. Rizwana Abbasi and Dr. Zafar Khan. The subject of nuclear deterrence in South Asia is an area of nuclear studies which has stimulated a lot of topical and scholarly writing from inside and outside Pakistan. As India and Pakistan are developing and constantly improving their deterrent capabilities, this book, comprising six chapters, is relevant for policy makers, academics and strategists. During the past two decades, India and Pakistan have been engaged in conventional and strategic force modernization. This led to doctrinal evolution and the introduction of advanced missile capabilities and strategic nuclear triads with improvements in payloads, ranges, reliability and accuracy of their delivery systems. Numerous viewpoints claim that the competition of matching capabilities in response to amplified threats and the interplay of various technologies—such as tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles; sea based weapons; ballistic missile defenses; multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs); military satellites; nuclear submarines etc—will further exacerbate the threatperception calculus of both countries. In this context, the latest book by Dr. Rizwana Abbasi and Dr. Zafar Khan is a good contribution to emerging narratives that attempt to analyze the changes in nuclear doctrines, policies, and postures in South Asia.