India

Country Report: India

India is a nuclear weapon state, but since it is not party to the NPT, its nuclear weapons program is not under the same regulations nor does the country have the same obligations as the NPT nuclear weapon states. This, coupled with India's relationship with the U.S. and volatile history with neighboring country, Pakistan, which also possesses nuclear weapons, makes India an important country to watch. BASIC monitors India's nuclear weapons program in its Getting to Zero Updates.

Country Report: China

China is one of the five nuclear weapon states of the NPT and the only one to have an open policy of no first use. BASIC monitors China’s nuclear policies and political shifts in its Getting to Zero updates. Read the summaries below for a reverse chronological history.

Getting to Zero Update

Nuclear weapons non-proliferation and disarmament developments seemed to be caught in a holding pattern, despite the upswing in news on the Iran and North Korea programs during recent weeks, including the release of the more detailed IAEA report on Iran’s alleged nuclear weaponization efforts.

Testing Times for the Test Ban

This Friday, at the United Nations, foreign ministers from 100 countries will adopt a declaration promoting concrete actions to ensure the entry into force of the global treaty banning nuclear tests.

Getting to Zero Update

Although implementation of the New START nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States was moving along, disagreement over missile defense continued to pose a serious blockage in the relationship. Diplomatic efforts around North Korea were at an uptick, and India and Pakistan have managed to revive stalled peace talks.

A South Asian Nuclear Reconciliation?

South Asia is often cited as the most intractable bilateral nuclear dispute on the planet. Even setting aside the divisive issue of Kashmir, the dispute between India and Pakistan has the added complexity that it involves at root the very identity of the two states.

Anniversary of Obama’s Prague speech

Two years ago this Tuesday, President Barack Obama vowed in his Prague speech to improve U.S. relations with the rest of the world and to strengthen international security by striving for a world without nuclear weapons. Since then, President Obama has proceeded with a flurry of nuclear weapons policy-related activities

US and India urge “meaningful dialogue” of all nuclear states

U.S. President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have issued a joint statement calling for “a meaningful dialogue among all states possessing nuclear weapons” with a view to reducing the salience of nuclear weapons globally. In the statement, issued at the end of President Obama's visit to India, both leaders firmly stated their belief in a world free from nuclear weapons as well as expressing concerns over illegal smuggling and trafficking of nuclear material.