{"id":1612,"date":"2026-08-09T19:12:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/indias-reluctance-to-perceive-any-existential-threat-inevitably-upsc-psir-2025-5008\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T21:25:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:55:46","slug":"indias-reluctance-to-perceive-any-existential-threat-inevitably-upsc-psir-2025-5008","status":"publish","type":"psir_pyq","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/indias-reluctance-to-perceive-any-existential-threat-inevitably-upsc-psir-2025-5008\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s reluctance to perceive any \u2018existential threat\u2019 inevitably made the multilateral path to nuclear security a \u2018default option until it decided to cross the nuclear Rubicon in 1998. Identify and analyze some of the major reasons behind this shift in India\u2019s position on the nuclear question."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pq-flow\">\n<div class=\"pq-flow-h\">Flow snapshot <em>\u2014 how the answer moves<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p1\"><span>Intro routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> multilateral path = \u201cdefault,\u201d not conviction <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> no acute existential threat <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> capability latent since the 1966 signal \/ 1974 Smiling Buddha<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> four decades of restraint <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> what changed by 1998 was the reasons, not the capability <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> three pressures converge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p2\"><span>Body flow<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p>dual programme (civilian + covert), difficult neighbourhood <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> Reason 1 security: China\u2019s arsenal grows + Pakistan covert (<b class=\"pq-sc\">Jaswant Singh<\/b>) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> Reason 2 discriminatory order hardens: NPT 1995 indefinite + CTBT 1996 <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> permanent exclusion <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> \u201cnuclear apartheid\u201d (<b>Oak<\/b>, current) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> Reason 3 status + domestic politics: nuclear-weapon-state declaration + great-power recognition<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p3\"><span>Counter-view<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p><b class=\"pq-sc\">Perkovich<\/b>: security not the whole story <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> domestic democratic politics + prestige drove a break no comparable state made <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> synthesis: external pressure + internal ambition together<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p4\"><span>Conclusion routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> aftermath measured, not reckless <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> No First Use + credible minimum deterrence (<b class=\"pq-sc\">Sethi<\/b>) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> responsible weaponisation<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> 1998 = declaration of a long-latent capability, once the multilateral option ceased to serve India\u2019s interests<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"pyq_year":[36],"pyq_marks":[31],"pyq_topic":[88],"pyq_paper":[69],"class_list":["post-1612","psir_pyq","type-psir_pyq","status-publish","hentry","pyq_year-36","pyq_marks-20-marks","pyq_topic-recent-developments-in-indian-foreign-policy","pyq_paper-paper-2"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/psir_pyq"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5024,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1612\/revisions\/5024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"pyq_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_year?post=1612"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_marks","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_marks?post=1612"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_topic?post=1612"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_paper","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_paper?post=1612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}