International Relations During Cold War Era - 1052 Words

â€Å"Title Needed† Conceptual Framework Nuclear Parity as a concept started prevailing in International relations in Cold War era. According to the Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms by US Department of Defense (2005): â€Å"Nuclear parity is a given condition at a given point in time when opposing forces possess nuclear offensive and defensive systems approximately equal in over all combat effectiveness†. As a theoretical concept it is regarding keeping a equilibrium in balance in power, weaponry and in context of this piece nuclear arsenals. Nuclear Deterrence cannot be achieved without nuclear parity. A state can deterred an offense proficiently if it has equal power to retaliate. This is the basic concept of Balance of Power in global†¦show more content†¦(Diakov Podvig, 2000) This Policy of Nuclear parity for Deterrence not only sustained the global balance of power but also to major extend, reason for a peaceful and stable world system for decades (Waltz, 1990. Same is the case with South Asian region specifically in case of arch rivals Pakistan and India. Both states have been is state of hostile since 1947. Both neighbors have engaged in copious border clashes to fully fledged wars. The Nuclear capability and to get a strong foot hold in power politics of the region, both states have engaged in the â€Å"Nuclear arms race† since the 1970s. Both are not ready to halt the development process of these weapons. Hence forth the nuclear parity for deterrence is fully functional in South Asia. India’s Nuclear Program India’s nuclear program was initiated in pre-independence era in 1844. As per Indian sources it was a program for civil and energy purposes. In 1964, India conducted its first nuclear test which changed the power balance of South Asia altogether. Despite numerous international sanctions, India continued its nuclear program. In 1995, the Indian governments again made preparations for a nuclear test but its activeitis were detected by US. The test was postponed but in 1998, the radical government of BJP conducted the