ABSTRACT
Nuclear weapons appear to have had three general effects on inter-state relations. First, nuclear weapons provide the nuclear state with an ‘infrangible guarantee of its independence and physical integrity’. Second, mutual deterrence among antagonistic nuclear states places limits on violence and in turn acts as a brake on total war. Third, by altering the ‘offencedefence’ balance in favour of defence, nuclear weapons have made it possible for weaker states to defend themselves effectively against large powerful countries. Nuclear deterrence involves the crucial dimension of nuclear use doctrine: what a country should say about when and why it might use nuclear weapons. Proponents of defensive or no first use have defended this option on several counts. The fundamental purpose of Indian nuclear weapons is to deter the use and threat of use of nuclear weapons by any state or entity against India and its forces.
