Nuclear Escalation Ladders in South Asia

摘要

This report consists of a preliminary analysis of the military and nuclear escalation ladders of India and Pakistan on one hand, and of India vis- a-vis China on the other the three geographically contiguous nuclear armed states in Asia. It seeks to assess these ladders as virtual realities, albeit evolving, of relations among the three nuclear-armed powers. It attempts to portray how they are perceived in terms of their deterrence properties, stability dynamics, and related risks of initiating armed conflict or escalating conflict to higher levels by the national actors concerned.