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  India's defence minister Rajnath Singh (left) and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (right).Credit: Hindustan Times/Getty, Aamir Qureshi/Getty

In the News

August 29, 2019

India–Pakistan nuclear escalation: where could it lead?

Priyanka PullaNature

Vipin Narang quoted: For example, if India firms up the change in its no first use policy, Pakistan might take this as a signal that India could pre-emptively strike at Pakistani nuclear installations, says Narang. And that might, in turn, prompt Pakistan to use up all its nuclear weapons first. “And so, you get this destabilising dynamic where as soon as the crisis becomes nuclearized, there is an incentive for both sides to go first.”

Interpreting India Podcast logo

In the News

August 28, 2019

A nuclear world with Vipin Narang

Srinath RaghavanInterpreting India

Srinath Raghavan sits down with Vipin Narang to discuss India's evolving nuclear strategy and the impact of nuclear weapons around the world.

Rajnath Singh pays homage to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his first death anniversary on August 16. Photo: Facebook/Rajnath Singh

In the News

August 25, 2019

Watch | ‘No First Use’ in India’s Nuclear Doctrine

Happymon JacobThe Wire

Happymon Jacob speaks to Vipin Narang about the status of India’s 'No First Use' nuclear policy in the light of defence minister Rajnath Singh’s statement.

Jim Walsh

In the News

August 23, 2019

Relaunched: The new nuclear arms race with Russia

Fox News Radio

A mysterious explosion in Northern Russia is causing concern that the nation may be testing new nuclear weapons. Jim Walsh discusses whether the world should be worried and if this is the start of a new nuclear arms race in this Fox News podcast.

India's nuclear tests in 1998 were celebrated across the country

Analysis + Opinion

August 22, 2019

Why India wants to break its decades-old nuclear pledge

Christopher Clary and Vipin NarangBBC News

Christopher Clary and Vipin Narang examine the implications for peace and security in South Asia after India's defence minister suggested that the country may re-evaluate its "no first use of nuclear weapons" doctrine.

 Saudi women roll at the departure hall of the Jeddah Airport on Aug. 6. Source: AFP via Getty Images

In the News

August 21, 2019

Disbelief, joy and resistance as Saudi women get first passports

Vivian Nereim and Sarah Algethami Bloomberg

Wilhelm Fellow Hala Al-Dosari quoted: Women who go against their families could potentially face legal charges from their guardians, something the government still needs to clarify.

FILE PHOTO: North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un supervises a "strike drill" for multiple launchers and tactical guided weapon into the East Sea during a military drill in North Korea, in this May 4, 2019 photo supplied by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS

In the News

August 20, 2019

Japanese report to say North Korea has miniaturized nuclear warheads

Reporting by Chris Gallagher and Linda Sieg in Tokyo, and Josh Smith in Seoul. Writing by Malcolm Foster; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreReuters

Vipin Narang quoted: North Korea’s ability to build nuclear warheads small enough to fit on its ballistic missiles has been widely accepted for several years, but the Japanese report highlights the lack of progress on denuclearisation talks aimed at curtailing the program. “It is Japan that is most threatened, and probably the primary target of such a capability,” he said. “So openly acknowledging it underscores Tokyo’s acute fears that North Korea’s nuclear program continues to grow unabated with no foreseeable plan to slow its growth, let alone eliminate them.”

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief Bipin Rawat in Pokhran. (ANI Photo)

Analysis + Opinion

August 18, 2019

‘No first use’ nuke policy isn’t dead, but losing sanctity

Christopher Clary and Vipin NarangHindustan Times

A policy of no first use is, in fact, a promise not to do something in the future: not to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict.

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leaves after a meeting at the house of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's house in New Delhi, India, August 5, 2019. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

In the News

August 16, 2019

India says committed to 'no first use' of nuclear weapons for now

Sanjeev MiglaniReuters

Vipin Narang quoted: Vipin Narang, a nuclear affairs expert at MIT in the United States, said that Singh’s comments were a sign the policy on ‘no first use’ could change in the future. “Make no mistake: this is by far the highest official statement—from the Raksha Mantri’s (Defence Minister) mouth directly—that India may not be forever bound by No First Use.”

North Korea test-fires a new weapon, seen here in a picture released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency this month. (KCNA via KNS/AFP/Getty Images)

In the News

August 15, 2019

Fast, low and hard to stop: North Korea’s missile tests crank up the threat level

Simon Denyer The Washington Post

Vipin Narang quoted: “The three missiles have several things in common: They are solid fuel, they are mobile, they are fast, they fly low, and at least the KN-23 can maneuver in-flight, which is very impressive.  Any one of the missiles would pose a challenge to regional and [South Korean] missile defenses given these characteristics. Together, they pose a nightmare.”

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