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Dissertation Information for Emile Sahliyeh

NAME:
- Emile Sahliyeh

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Political Science

SCHOOL:
- Georgetown University (USA) (1979)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: INDIA'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

Abstract: This study is an investigation of the military capabilities of India's present nuclear program and the potentialities of its future program. India's nuclear policy and the determinants of such a policy are examined as well. India's nuclear program is analyzed in terms of three main considerations: India's nuclear and space establishments and their military capabilities; the domestic setting in view of the attitudes of the various Indian Governments and their policy influencers; and the external setting in terms of India's attitude toward some international non-proliferation measures and outside threats to India's national security in the 1970's and 1980's. This threefold approach is adopted to help unravel the complexity of India's nuclear thinking and facilitate the formulation of judgments concerning the future direction of the country's nuclear program.

The study consists of five parts. Part One offers an examination of India's nuclear and space establishments. Chapter One surveys the development of India's nuclear program in terms of its origins, research centers, nuclear facilities and industry. Chapter Two analyzes the various stages in the development of India's nuclear reactors, and Chapter Three examines India's space and rocket program.

Part Two of this study is devoted to a discussion of the military capabilities of India's nuclear and space programs. In Chapter Four an investigation of India's capabilities for producing nuclear weapons in terms of the production of fissionable materials, weapon design, assembly and testing are discussed, while Chapter Five assesses India's delivery system and the financial costs of acquiring a nuclear program.

The domestic scene of India's nuclear program is analyzed in Part Three, wherein Chapter Six explores the various positions of the Indian governments, from the Nehru Administration to the Desai Administration, with regard to India's nuclear program. Chapter Seven attempts to shed some light on the attitudes of India's political parties, public opinion, interest groups and the intellectual elite.

Part Four involves a discussion of the external setting of India's nuclear program, in which Chapter Eight attempts to assess India's attitudes toward international safeguards, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and nuclear weapon-free-zones in South Asia. Chapter Nine includes a speculation concerning the possible threats to India's security in the future. Finally, Part Five contains tentative conclusions and observations concerning the present status of India's nuclear program, and the future course of such a program.

It is suggested in this study that in view of the threats to her national security, her concern for her image and prestige abroad, the growth in the strength of her pro-bomb lobby, and the continued advancement of her nuclear energy program; India will most likely continue to maintain her nuclear weapon option. It is also very likely that India will further advance its nuclear energy program to reach a level of nuclear self-sufficiency, which may ultimately result in an actual acquisition of nuclear weapons. In line with this attitude, it is likely that New Delhi will continue her opposition to the NPT, international safeguards, and South Asia as a nuclear weapon-free zone. Currently, however, due to the limitations of its nuclear and space programs, the Indian Government cannot aspire to develop a nuclear weapon program based on atomic and thermonuclear warheads and a strategic delivery system, unless New Delhi wishes to produce a modest nuclear weapon capability based on few plutonium warheads and aircraft currently available to the Indian Air Force.

MPACT Scores for Emile Sahliyeh

A = 1
C = 3
A+C = 4
T = 1
G = 1
W = 1
TD = 1
TA = 0
calculated 2010-09-27 23:36:41

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