Topic > Potential Consequences of Nuclear Policy in South Asia

Established in 1948, India's Atomic Energy Commission looked to the UK for initial help in building Apsara. Later, with a similar vision, the CIRUS reactor was supplied from Canada, where the heavy water came from the United States. India, over the years, has developed a nuclear program which has led to the construction of numerous reactors. India's “peaceful nuclear explosion” in 1974 implicates their hegemonic ambitions as India has the capacity to produce around 300-400 nuclear weapons. India's continued weapons buildup could transform it into a hegemonic nuclear power capable of profoundly troubling Pakistan and China. Calling into question India's stated intentions when it comes to nuclear testing, plutonium for the 1974 and 1998 tests was diverted from its "civilian" nuclear facilities. After 1974, India continued to maintain that its explosion was “peaceful” and supported global nuclear disarmament, even as it rejected Pakistan's proposals to denuclearize South Asia. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay From Pokhran-I to Operation Shakti, India has traditionally relied on plutonium and thermonuclear technology. In 1992, the then chairman of India's Department of Atomic Energy acknowledged that India had previously succeeded in achieving its highly enriched uranium goal, while the centrifuge program was facing critical and technical obstacles. Furthermore, former AEC Chairman Raja Ramanna admitted that India was working to produce more efficient centrifuges to be used for military purposes. At the culmination of all these developments, it is important to note that thermonuclear weapons have much more destructive power than a nuclear bomb. India may also consider using its civilian reactors to increase its stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium. Robert Einhorn, a former senior State Department nonproliferation official, said at the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference in March that Bush administration officials had an ambition to sign a nuclear deal with India, to “work together to counter China – to be a counterweight to an emerging China.” He also expressed his view that the nuclear deal had unfortunate repercussions, because other nations concluded that Washington was playing favoritism with India. India is the only country in the region to have uranium reserves greater than those of other countries in the region. India has already received around 4,914 tonnes of uranium from France, Russia and Kazakhstan and has agreements with Canada, Mongolia, Argentina and Namibia for further shipments. He also signed a uranium deal with Australia that sparked considerable controversy at home. This massive annual production of uranium can indirectly support its nuclear submarine program and the current rate of weapons-grade plutonium production. These uranium reserves are sufficient for approx. 6-10 bombs per year. Adding a twist to the current process of fissile material accumulation, the Indo-US strategic partnership has complemented it. Under this dangerous agreement, India would continue to not only increase its fissile material, but also its ability to increase its buildup of nuclear weapons material. Therefore, strategic stability in South Asia was negatively affected from an early stage due to the hegemonic designs that India pursued with the commissioning of the CIRUS reactor. As time goes by, the agreement.