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I think there was also a degree of, "because we can." Certainly the VHP government wanted to put India on the world map, and that sentiment played a part in at least the public revelation of a clandestine programme of long-standing.

Many of India's moves in the aerospace world (satellites, cosmonauts, own-design aeroplanes) seem to be driven less by logic and more by nationalism and a desire to plant the Indian flag in places where, say, inward-looking Americans least expect it.

The Pakis on the other hand were working on the bomb because (1) India was and (2) they sold it to the project's financiers (Saudis) as an all-Islamic weapon. Of course, once Musharraf had the bomb, the last thing he wanted was for it to be used every time some Muslim got his arse in a crack, or give up the keys to the Wahhabi nutballs (he has his hands full with home grown Deobandi nutballs).

The nations of the Subcontinent have found out what the Club of Five have long known: while nucs are powerful things, in the real world they are not all that useful. Especially considering what these two relatively poor countries spent on them (not only money but human capital as well).

The alarming thing to me is that India for all its faults has a fifty year history of robust parlimentarian rule and a stridently free press. Not to mention the intricate constitution, which limits that parliament in a way that, say, the UK Commons is not limited. Pakistan lacks both the constitution and many of the other bonds that hold India together. The only reason Pakistan is not another Afghanistan, is the pressure exerted by the civil service and army, institutions inherited from the UK and barely holding up. (before Afghanistan started its descent into hell, its unifying army was racked by political purges).

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

Imo, India has nukes for two reasons: China AND China. We didn't test to deter Pakistan, but to deter China.

Sounds right. But, if Pakistan had been ahead in developing nukes, India definitely would have followed suit. Of course, being a client state of China helped Pakistan's nuclear program dramatically, and leads us right back to your statement.

The Indians developed the nuclear weapon for domestic political reasons of national self-worth, as part of the BJP Party's efforts to increase its influence once it came to power.

It was in response to htis that the Pakistanis built their weapons, thereby ratcheting up the reason for the Indians to have the weapons.

It's important to watch Richard Armitage now, who is going to the region later this week.