India’s development of a ballistic missile system is threatening the credibility of Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent. To regain its credibility, Pakistan is improving its nuclear arsenal, quantitatively and qualitatively, which might lead to an arms race. Additionally, a more developed Indian BMD system would incentivise both India and Pakistan to conduct a nuclear first strike during a conflict.
India’s Act East Policy: Strategic Rationales and Maritime Strategy
India’s contemporary relations with Southeast Asia can be viewed through a prism of historical, religious, and cultural influences which it has had in the region for more than a millennium. These relations include the ancient Indianised kingdoms and maritime empires of Sailendra, Funan, Majapahit and Khmer respectively and a legacy that continues to be celebrated through the spread of the Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic faiths which have shaped the contemporary societies of these states.