Nitin Pai cited in Beyond South Asia by Neil Padukone

Takshashila's Nitin Pai cited in Beyond South Asia: India's Strategic Evolution and the Reintegration of the Subcontinent by Neil Padukone.This book discusses the importance of India’s geographical location in terms of geopolitical and strategic spaces. Padukone studies India’s strategic thinking as it has developed since Independence. Padukone analyses the various factors that contribute to India’s position of being a key global political actor.Padukone refers to Nitin Pai’s idea that India’s nuclear strength is as important as the Himalayas for its national security. “As Pai writes, “as long as the [‘New Himalayas’] are high – that’s where the minimum credible deterrent comes in – it is inconceivable that China or any other power will see merit in mounting a direct military invasion.”Padukone also cites Pai’s evaluation of India’s non-confrontation policy with Pakistan. “Voicing a common Indian frustration, Nitin Pai writes that India’s unilateral non-confrontation “has been largely counterproductive. The Pakistani military establishment perceives Indian moves as arising from weakness, an assessment that emboldens it to instigate [further] acts of terrorism against India. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons now serve the effective purpose of protecting its terrorists from punishment.”The book is published by Bloomsbury Academic, 2014.