Abstract:
The Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made
history by winning a clear majority in the 2014 Indian
elections. The Party espouses updating and revising India‟s
nuclear doctrine and making it relevant to the challenges of
current times. Prospective change in the three central tenets
of the nuclear doctrine – No First Use (NFU), threat of
massive retaliation and a policy of Credible Minimum
Deterrence (CMD) – will impact other areas as well.
India‟s revision of its support for a nuclear-weapons-free
world, moratorium on nuclear testing and the willingness
to negotiate the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT)
would be problematic. This article examines the likely
impact of possible revision in the stated Indian doctrine on
deterrence stability and global nuclear politics.
