Overview

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

Asia Society

On July 1, 1998, the Asia Society, with support from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and the Rockefeller Foundation, held a one-day workshop in New York entitled “South Asia After the Nuclear Tests: Where Do We Go From Here?” The twenty-three participants for the workshop came from across disciplines. They included nuclear scientists, cultural studies experts, regional security specialists, arms control experts, economists, business people, and officials from the World Bank and the United Nations. The workshop comprised four sessions. The first session considered the motivations behind India’s and Pakistan’s May 1998 nuclear tests and the domestic implications of the tests. The second session focused on the possible next steps in India’s and Pakistan’s nuclear programs, specifically the prospects for weaponization and development of deterrence doctrines and policies. The third session dealt with the implications of India’s and Pakistan’s nuclear tests for the Asia-Pacific region as well as the responses of Asia-Pacific countries. The final session examined the economic implications of the tests for the two countries, particularly the impact of sanctions levied by the United States and Japan. Each session began with presentations and was followed by open discussion. A policy of nonattribution was adopted. The report that follows is an attempt to summarize the richness and complexity of the presentations and discussions.