BOOK REVIEW : Arun Kumar Banerji (ed), Non-proliferation in a Changing World : India's Policy and Options, Allied Publishers Limited, Calcutta, 1997, pp.xv+163, Rs. 170.00

This article provides a scholarly review of the edited volume "Non-proliferation in a Changing World: India's Policy and Options." The reviewer summarizes the book's main purpose, which is to analyze India's long-standing and complex policy on nuclear non-proliferation in the context of the changing global environment of the mid-1990s, particularly the indefinite extension of the NPT. The review highlights the key arguments made by the various contributors regarding India's strategic rationale for keeping its nuclear option open, its critique of the discriminatory nature of the global non-proliferation regime, and its security concerns vis-à-vis China and Pakistan. The reviewer assesses the quality of the analyses presented and the overall coherence of the volume. The review concludes by affirming the book's importance as a key resource for understanding the nuances and historical context of India's nuclear policy from an Indian perspective.

This article offers a critical review of the edited volume, "Non-proliferation in a Changing World: India's Policy and Options." The review begins by establishing the book's timeliness and significance, as it was published amidst intense international pressure on India to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) following its indefinite extension in 1995. The reviewer summarizes the central thrust of the collection, which is a robust defense of India's decision to remain outside the NPT and to maintain its nuclear weapons option. The review would discuss the key arguments articulated by the book's contributors. These likely include a detailed critique of the NPT as a form of "nuclear apartheid" that perpetuates the division between the nuclear "haves" and "have-nots"; a security-based argument focusing on the perceived threats from a nuclear-armed China and a nuclear-capable Pakistan; and a prestige-based argument linking the nuclear option to India's status as a major global power. The review would assess the strengths of these arguments, praising the book for providing a clear and comprehensive articulation of the Indian strategic consensus on the nuclear issue. It might also offer a critique, perhaps by engaging with the counter-arguments from the international non-proliferation community. The review concludes that the book is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to understand the deep-seated historical, strategic, and normative reasons behind India's long-standing and defiant nuclear policy.