“Nuclear governance is now facing massive challenges. In the last few years, we have seen that all the arm controls agreements have become dysfunctional. There is rampant nuclear proliferation. For practical purposes, there is hardly any nuclear governance in the world today.

“We are entering into a phase where the world faces massive challenges due to the stress on the nuclear order. These concerns have been exaggerated by this Russia-Ukraine war, where from time to time there is loose talk of use of nuclear weapons. There is also the increasing trend of militarization of outer space. Recently the American intelligence agencies have speculated about the possibility of the Russians deploying a nuclear device in space. This is a serious matter.”

This was stated by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director, Vivekananda International Foundation, in conservation with Anoop Verma. Dr. Gupta had earlier served as the Deputy National Security Adviser and Secretary, National Security Council, during 2014-17. He was the Director General of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses during 2012-2014. In the interview, he sheds light on the foreign policy initiatives of the Modi government.

Published in ETGovernment on 9th May 2024.