HİNDİSTAN’IN “SOĞUK BAŞLANGIÇ” SİYASETİ VE PAKİSTAN’IN İLK ATAK TEHDİTİ: NUKLEER CAYDIRICILIĞIN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

Abstract

Pakistan and India are the two countries facing nuclear deterrence from each other as they have had a conflict since 1947. This creates a threat to South Asian regions Pakistan is using nuclear deterrence in order to discourage Indian conventional dominance. On the other hand, as India does not have the ability to change the quality of being at a competitive advantage of it is conventional to finish the Kashmir war with Pakistan, India established the doctrine called –Cold Start Doctrine- in 2004, which is an assaultive doctrine. According to this doctrine, India can militarize in a quick way and use small retaliatory attacks on Pakistan without trespassing into their nuclear part. Cold Start gives an advantage to India for being more capable of a conventional mobilization when acting together with their Air Force. This might escalate the risk of nuclear war in the subcontinent. In this paper, the strategic balance of Pakistan and India is compared. It also examines how the Cold Start doctrine of India affected Pakistan's nuclear weapon policy and Pakistan moved toward 'First Strike Use'. The nuclear balance is explained by assessing the development of Pakistan's atomic weapons store and India's nuclear arsenal.