#BookLounge: The Sheathed Sword
The Takshashila Institution hosted a book launch event on Friday, November 25th with Lt. Gen. Prakash Menon (Director, Strategic Studies Programme, Takshashila) and Aditya Ramanathan (Research Fellow, Takshashila), editors of the book, The Sheathed Sword: From Nuclear Bring to No First Use. Nitin Pai (Director, Takshashila) moderated the session. The event marked the release of the first edited volume on the no-first-use doctrine in nearly four decades.
The discussion centred around the idea of a global no-first-use (GNFU) pledge. General Menon stated that the direct advantage of a GNFU is the reduction in nuclear alertness levels worldwide, which in turn reduces the chances of accidental nuclear catastrophe. Moreover, over time states have fewer incentives to build first-strike capabilities, as long as an assured second-strike capability is met.
Aditya Ramanathan added that GNFU is limited to a pledge, and unlike arms control treaties, does not seek to regulate the structure of nuclear forces. No-first-use pledges provide some signalling value as far as the nuclear policy of a state is concerned.
The panellists also spoke of their experience in engaging with 20 experts from nearly 10 countries during the compilation of the volume. All contributors of the book have engaged with the idea of GNFU in their respective works, and even some skeptics of no-first-use see merit in the proposition if certain geopolitical conditions are established before signing on to the pledge.
The event ended with the panellists fielding questions from the audience on the role of nuclear weapons along the India-China and India-Pakistan equations, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on states’ nuclear strategy and global security, and theories of strategic deterrence.
About the Book:
The Sheathed Sword: From Nuclear Brink to No First Use is a collection of essays by leading scholars and practitioners on the role of nuclear weapons in global security. The contributors examine how individual states view nuclear weapons, the devastating effects of nuclear war on the world's climate and the issues around nuclear no first use. They also debate the feasibility and desirability of a global no-first-use (GNFU) agreement.
List of Contributors:
Colin S. Gray, Lt. General Prakash Menon, Bruno Tertrais, Rajesh Basrur, Sadia Tasleem, Walter C. Ladwig III, Owen B. Toon, Alan Robock, Michael Mills, Lili Xia, Nina Tannenwald, Rajesh Rajagopalan, Keir Lieber, Daryl Press, Matthew Kroenig, Petr Topychkanov, Damien Cusey, Olivier de France, Lora Saalman, Zhong Ai, Manpreet Sethi, Emily B. Landau, Brigadier (Retd) Feroz Hassan Khan, Jina Kim, Hirofumi Tosaki and Mustafa Kibaroglu.
Click here to read more about the book.
