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India's Impact on the Formation of Multipolar Nuclear Order

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Rubric: Security Problems in Contemporary World
DOI: 10.20542/013CSVBKR1-2227-2024-68-9-5-15
EDN: CSVBKR
P. Topychkanov, topychkanov@imemo.ru
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), 23, Profsoyuznaya Str., Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation.
 

Received 04.06.2024. Revised 17.06.2024. Accepted 05.07.2024.

Acknowledgements. This article was prepared with the support of a grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation for major scientific projects in priority areas of technological development no. 075-15-2024-551 “Global and Regional Centers of Power in the Scientific and Emerging World Order”.


Abstract. India’s decision not to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty has led to its labelling as a state that is not fully aligned with the global nuclear order. This places it in the same category as other nuclear-armed countries outside these agreements, such as Israel, North Korea, and Pakistan. India’s nuclear weapons testing in 1998, followed by a similar move by Pakistan, has been viewed as a challenge to international security and the nuclear non-proliferation regime. This article aims to examine India’s stance on these treaties and its choice to become a nuclear-armed state in 1998 within the context of its efforts to influence the establishment of a fair global order that serves the interests of not only the major nuclear powers (USSR/Russia, Great Britain, China, the United States, and France) and their allies, but also the rest of the world. Delhi’s actions in the realm of nuclear arms control highlights the emerging multipolar world. Although India has refrained from actively participating in disarmament negotiations after the end of Cold War, its previous experiences remain relevant today. The breakdown of the U.S. – Russia nuclear arms control as well as crises over the nuclear non-proliferation and testing banning regimes have given weight to the arguments put forth by Indian leaders and diplomats. These arguments emphasize the urgency of reducing nuclear risks and exercising strategic restraint, including maintaining a moratorium on nuclear testing. Since 1998, India has adopted an approach different from its previous policy on various nuclear disarmament issues. This shift is evident in the country’s solidarity with other nuclear powers in opposing the 2021 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. However, India’s longstanding support for multipolarity in international security policy, particularly regarding nuclear weapons, remains unchanged.

Keywords: India, disarmament, nuclear control, multipolarity, international organizations, nonproliferation, nuclear tests, nuclear weapon


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For citation:
Topychkanov P. India's Impact on the Formation of Multipolar Nuclear Order. World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2024, vol. 68, no. 9, pp. 5-15. https://doi.org/10.20542/013CSVBKR1-2227-2024-68-9-5-15 EDN: CSVBKR

Contents World Eñonomy and International Relations. 2024, vol. 68, no. 9

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