South Asia After the Tests: Where Do We Go From Here?
Foreword

Marshall Bouton

South Asia After the Tests: Where Do We Go From Here?
Roundtable Workshop
July 1, 1998

Asia Society

On July 1, 1998, Asia Society, with the timely support of the Rockefeller Foundation and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, convened a day-long workshop to examine the causes and consequences of India’s and Pakistan’s testing of nuclear weapons in May 1998. The workshop discussed how the tests have affected the security scenario in Asia, the global non-proliferation regime, India-Pakistan relations, and the political economy of both India and Pakistan. Our hope was that better understanding of the questions would contribute to informed policy responses to the momentous developments in South Asia.

Participants in the workshop, from the United States, India, Pakistan, Japan, and China, represented diverse specialties. They included arms control experts, regional security specialists, nuclear scientists, political scientists, economists, business people, and officials from the World Bank and the United Nations. The breadth of the participants’ expertise and regional origins contributed to the comprehensive nature of the discussion and alternative interpretations of the tests’ significance and impact.

Much of the discussion revolved around the questions of what measures should be taken to ensure stability and security in the region. Many in the group felt that weaponization should not be a priority for India and Pakistan. Rather, they should look toward improving their economic performance. This was an urgent priority before the tests, which is underscored by the Asian financial crisis.

Much of the discussion revolved around the questions of what measures should be taken to ensure stability and security in the region. Many in the group felt that weaponization should not be a priority for India and Pakistan. Rather, they should look toward improving their economic performance. This was an urgent priority before the tests, which is underscored by the Asian financial crisis.

The Asia Society is a non-profit public education organization dedicated to increasing American understanding of Asia. The Society routinely assembles leading Asian and American figures from the academic, media, business, and government communities to exchange views on critical issues in U.S.-Asia relations.

We would like to thank the participants and Satu Limaye, rapporteur, for their efforts in making the workshop a success. Also, the Society thanks the Rockefeller Foundation and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership without whose generous financial assistance this project would not be realized.