Modi sticks to India’s nuclear path

Abstract

India’s nuclear policy has remained far steadier under the Modi government than initial rhetoric from his party suggested or what many observers feared. In this essay, three aspects of India’s nuclear policy under the Modi government are examined: India’s nuclear arsenal, its nuclear doctrine, and its nuclear diplomacy. Each of these show that Indian policy has continued to develop along the same axis as the preceding governments. India’s nuclear armory has increased, but gradually, and there is little indication that India is on the cusp of any nuclear doctrinal change, especially regarding its No First Use policy. India’s diplomacy has also largely continued along the same path as before, emphasizing India’s membership of key multilateral arrangements from which India had been excluded, and traditional slogans such as nuclear disarmament and de-alerting of nuclear forces. Moreover, there is no indication this will change in the immediate future.