May 09, 2020 monitoring the 21st century asian arms race. Introduction after crossing the nuclear rubicon in may 1998, india and pakistan, the two nations of south asia, accept been accepting on a circuit that can just accompany added noteworthy uncertainty, pressure, the arm race and mal improvement to the region. Understanding the arms race in south asia carnegie. Near the end of the cold war the soviet union was spending around 27% of its total gross national product on the military.
The worlds first nuclear bomb exploded at alamogordo on 16 july 1945. This volume provides the first comprehensive history of the arms racing phenomenon in modern international politics, drawing both on theoretical approaches and on the latest historical research. Endicott south asia and the second nuclear age 21 april 2004. North koreas bad behavior could signal the start of an. Arms race and nuclear developments in south asia by professor john e.
Numerous media outlets and observers have interpreted these changes in the regions arms dynamics as indicators of an arms race in southeast asia. South asian nuclear arms race accelerates amid indiapakistan standoff by sampath perera 28 february 2017 recent weeks have witnessed a further intensification of the nuclear arms race in south. Arms race, a pattern of competitive acquisition of military capability between two or more countries. Once ronald regan came into office, he promoted his antinuclearism views. Pdf arms race and development debate in south asia. Comments by donald trump draw fears of an arms race in asia. Chinas increasingly aggressive behaviour in the pacific is frequently cited as the trigger for this leap in arms purchases. Gray, an arms race takes place if two or more hostile parties quickly increase or improve their weaponry and orientate their respective defence policies on. It is with regard to this uncertain strategic context in the scs that commentaries emerged in fact preceding the july 12 award that there is an ongoing arms race in the region. South korea is also building a naval base on jeju, one of its southernmost islands, far from pyongyang but strategically located between japan and china. For more on adrian browns story, go to the sbs dateline website. Deploys missile defense in south korea soldiers guarded the entrance to a golf course where the terminal. In the past decade, military spending by the regions states has risen by 57 percent on average. Pdf the indiapakistani military and nuclear arms race in post.
There is growing concern that southeast asia is in the midst of a regional arms race. Other countries that claim parts of the region are expanding their defense spending in in order to keep this. Dec 20, 2017 the regional superpower, china, is moving forward to dominate the south china sea. We have argued that arms races in the twentyfirst century will be very different from the cold war arms race. The workshop was held at the holiday inn singapore atrium and was run backtoback with the maritime security programmes conference on navies, coast guards, the maritime community and international stability. As china expands its influence in the disputed south china sea, an arms race has developed among other nations with claims in the area. Southeast asia military modernization, arms race, arms. This arms race has proceeded despite the fact that most southeast asian nations have no obvious near enemies and, if they are involved in conflicts, they tend to be local insurgencies like the. The competitive nature of this buildup often reflects an adversarial relationship. Apr 22, 2014 south koreas large military owes to the fact that north korea which was partitioned from south korea in the aftermath of world war ii has 1. The ongoing territorial disputes in the south china and east china seas are also necessitating more maritime security capabilities in east asia as a whole. Nervous supporters of the deal see the report, which says that pakistan is capable of using the reactor to produce enough plutonium to make 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, as the final attempt by the us nuclear nonproliferation lobby to raise paranoia over the prospect of.
Certainly many nations in the region have been on a veritable shopping spree for advanced conventional weaponry, and this has been enabled by a corresponding increase in military spending. This, quite simply, is not the first time that concerns about arms races in asia have emerged. Asia is currently in the middle of an unprecedented arms race that is sharpening tensions in the region and competing with efforts to address poverty and growing inequality. The resulting arms competition, or arms dynamic, has at least the potential to contribute to a classical security dilemma, a situation whereby actions taken by a country can actually undermine the security and stability that they were meant to increase. Territorial disputes drive arms race in east asia japan forward. The nuclear age opened during world war ii with a blinding light.
However, studies on military expenditures by india and pakistan have produced no unanimity of view on whether an arms race existed historically, let alone today. Alaina totton result of the arms race the theory of mad, mutually assured destruction, developed meaning that if russia attacked the united states, the united states would suitably retaliate. Sep 30, 2016 it is with regard to this uncertain strategic context in the scs that commentaries emerged in fact preceding the july 12 award that there is an ongoing arms race in the region. The whole set of proposals advanced by the soviet union is directed to this end konstantin u. Oct 20, 2010 this arms race has proceeded despite the fact that most southeast asian nations have no obvious near enemies and, if they are involved in conflicts, they tend to be local insurgencies like the. India and pakistan are indeed entangled in a longstanding security competition. Ideally, the best measure of whether the two are in fact in a classic, reciprocal nuclear arms competition would be the rate at which both sides are. South asian nuclear arms race accelerates amid indiapakistan. Chinese encroachments into japanese territorial waters, coupled with outstanding territorial issues from as long ago as the close of wwii, are exacerbating an already tense situation.
Arms races in international politics thomas mahnken. Some take it as a given that china and the united states are engaged in an arms race, and that the u. The prospect of an arms race is interlinked with the broader context in which these changes are taking place. Examples of arms races since the early 20th century. Jul 25, 2006 nervous supporters of the deal see the report, which says that pakistan is capable of using the reactor to produce enough plutonium to make 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, as the final attempt by the us nuclear nonproliferation lobby to raise paranoia over the prospect of a nuclear arms race in south asia. Ssks acquiring 2 more, with aip, 4 lpds 350 troops, 18 tanks, 2 helos, 4 lcac building a networked navy malaysia. The regional superpower, china, is moving forward to dominate the south china sea. Written by an international team of specialists, it is divided into four sections. The new arms race in asia asia an indepth look at news. The southeast asian arms race council on foreign relations. Indonesia and thailand diversify more than their peers.
These countries are importing not only complex weapon systems but, more important, the technology with which to manufacture them. Near the end of the cold war the soviet union was spending around 27% of. Some scholars have claimed that an arms race was present in southeast asia even before the end of the cold war due to an upward trend in defence spending, driven largely by the open competitiveness of the extraregional powers as well as the competitiveness of the intraregional members wah 1987. The front runners will be japan and south korea, backed by their chief benefactor the united states and its commercial defense contractors. Simply defined as a competition between two or more states to have superior armed forces.
Other countries that claim parts of the region are expanding their. May 22, 2012 china is massively increasing its military spending, worrying many of its neighbours into joining the new arms race in asia. Two recent studies have shown that, essentially, an arms race is in full swing in asia a cause for serious concern, considering the number of simmering conflicts. Arms races as exemplified by the accumulation of stocks of weapons represent a very special case of weapons as an instrument of power. An arms race occurs when two or more nations participate in interactive or competitive increases in persons under arms as well as war material. Mar 29, 2016 comments by donald trump draw fears of an arms race in asia. The worlds first nuclear bomb exploded at alamogordo on.
Pdf the article examines the indiapakistani nuclear arms race and its effect to the regional security in south asia today as a cold wars legacy. This could become a mindless race, driven by mutual suspicion, rather than the actual needs of deterrence and stability. Comments by donald trump draw fears of an arms race in asia american troops participating in joint military exercises with south korea this. Indias mirv program and deterrence stability in south asia. A new arms race explaining recent southeast asian military. During the cold war the united states and the soviet union became engaged in a nuclear arms race. Some have even argued that southeast asia could be in the midst of a new, potentially destabilizing arms race. The front runners will be japan and south korea, backed by their chief benefactor the united.
In the early 20th century, germany as a rising power. The paper traces the nuclear arms competition between the two south asian rivals and. North koreas bad behavior could signal the start of an asian. Pacific, south asia has great potential for an arms race and for explosive conflict. Looking at southeast asia specifically, concerns about a potential regional arms race first emerged in the 1980s, when the regional air forces started to acquire supersonic combat aircraft for the first time. In 2012, for the first year in modern times, asian states spent more.
Fearon department of political science stanford university draft march 24, 2011 abstract i consider a model of arming in which states choose in successive periods whether to build weapons and whether to attack, and in which arms accumulate across periods. Sep, 2012 this could become a mindless race, driven by mutual suspicion, rather than the actual needs of deterrence and stability. In southeast asia, arms buildups are also a key part of the current strategic landscape, with military spending increasing by 62 per cent between 2002 and 2012, according to sipri estimates. Deploys missile defense in south korea soldiers guarded the entrance to a golf course where the terminal high altitude area defense system will be deployed in. Certainly many nations in the region have been on a veritable shopping spree for advanced conventional. Since longstanding territorial and border disputes remain most notably in the south china sea and the twin. Understanding the arms race in south asia the apparently rapid pace of nuclear developments in india and pakistan has led many analysts to warn of an impending arms race between the two countries. Mar 15, 2017 the ongoing territorial disputes in the south china and east china seas are also necessitating more maritime security capabilities in east asia as a whole. They both spent billions and billions of dollars trying to build up huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons. South asia and the second nuclear age it was with great pleasure and humility that i accepted the invitation to take part in this vital seminar that is featuring specialists from pakistan, india, and other. Given the rapid rise of arms purchases in southeast asia, journalists in particular often refer to an arms race in the region. Furthermore, russia remains a vital secondary arms seller to bangladesh, afghanistan, and myanmar. However, while changes in southeast asias regional arms dynamics remain below the threshold of an arms race, they do amount to more than a maintenance of the status quo. Gray, an arms race takes place if two or more hostile parties quickly increase or improve their weap.
South asian nuclear arms race accelerates amid india. The littoral countries of the south china sea have committed large chunks of their military spending to upgrading their naval capacity, including in maritime aviation. The nuclear race in south asia mahbub ul haq research center. The deeply ingrained, traditional hostility between india and pakistan accentuates the dangers inherent in a south asian nuclear proliferation. Pdf on feb 18, 2019, nawab sher and others published arms race in south asia. Pdf nuclear arms race in south asia muhammed yusen. The next arms race the nonproliferation policy education center. Top14 arms importers in asia and their main suppliers. The arms race concept is also used in other fields. Jan 16, 2015 it is difficult to say whether there is an ongoing arms race in east asia. Fueled by dramatic economic growth, the nations of east and southeast asia are engaged in an arms race that shows every sign of accelerating.
While this is clearly a strategic arms race between india and pakistan, this is also. North korea has the worlds fourthlargest military force 41% larger than russias. Several scholars have applied this model to south asia directly to test for empirical evidence of an arms race. The security competition between india and pakistan has been characterised by an actionreaction spiral.
One example of an arms race is the dreadnought arms race between germany and britain prior to world war i. South koreas large military owes to the fact that north korea which was partitioned from south korea in the aftermath of world war ii has 1. We have been and remain convinced advocates of halting the arms race and reversing it. One of the things that is different about arms races now is the presence of increasing returns in the. Prior to joining stimson, he served as senior advisor for asian. The paper examines the nuclear arms race in south asia. The term is often used quite loosely to refer to any military buildup or spending increases by a group of countries. Weeks after surfacetosurface missiles bombarded two locations in iraq that left scores of us soldiers with minor injuries the revolutionary guard irgc and iranian media started promoting a new shortrange model called raad 500. Mar 08, 2017 whats next may be an arms race with north korea. This paper sets out to challenge the conventional wisdom that structural factors consist of the china threat, and that the ongoing south china sea disputes are the prime factors in the current military buildups in southeast asia. It is difficult to say whether there is an ongoing arms race in east asia. The case of india and pakistan article pdf available in defence and peace economics 171. Nuclear weapons and arms control in south asia after the.
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