The Changing Contours of India’s Arms Control and Disarmament Policy

India has been at the forefront of the global nuclear disarmament campaign. However, in recent decades, its relationship with the global nuclear disarmament regime has undergone a subtle change. While in the pre-1998 phase, India pursued the cause of global nuclear disarmament vociferously; in the aftermath of the May 1998 tests, the country reoriented the thrust of its nuclear diplomacy by directing more policy thrust on arms control and non-proliferation while largely de-emphasising time-bound global nuclear disarmament. The signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal in 2008 heralded a new initiative in India’s engagement with the global nuclear order. Currently, India’s diplomatic energies are devoted towards gaining membership of the global nuclear rule-making architecture. While India occasionally reiterates its commitment to the cause of global nuclear disarmament, India, in recent years, has not made any new disarmament proposals. Notably, while India welcomes any disarmament and arms control proposal that aligns with its own preferences, it steadfastly opposes any initiative that threatens its nuclear status. With the global nuclear disarmament and arms control regime in complete disarray, it is time for India to seize the moment and regain its historical leadership role by reframing and re-energising the cause of nuclear disarmament on the global agenda.