World Reaction to the Indian Nuclear Tests

[Vishwarupa]

Did we face the same pressure that Iran is facing now.

 

[Yusuf]

Did we face the same pressure that Iran is facing now.

We have been under pressure from 70s. But the thing is both times we tested, it caught everyone off guard. So no there was no pressure on India as it has been on Iran. We faced sanctions after the tests and pretty comfortably rode over them.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

Hey hey hey, the WORLD was stun by seeing INDIA do an eye wash of the Americans and the Americans too know the capability of INDIA.......

 

[warriorextreme]

France
France has criticized India but said it opposed US sanctions and will not apply its own.
(International Herald Tribune, 14 May 98)

and 14 years later they get fighter jet deal
----------------------
1998 tests were a brave and well timed decision by our politicians...imagine if we had never done these tests then..

 

[LETHALFORCE]

There are still a few things about the tests that are questionable?
1. The timing of the tests could a better time have been chosen? When?
2. Why wasn't there a larger warhead tested in the many that were tested?
3. Why didn't India ask to be recognized as a nuclear weapon state in bush
Nuclear deal? Which came as a result of the test.

 

[Yusuf]

There are still a few things about the tests that are questionable?
1. The timing of the tests could a better time have been chosen? When?
2. Why wasn't there a larger warhead tested in the many that were tested?
3. Why didn't India ask to be recognized as a nuclear weapon state in bush
Nuclear deal? Which came as a result of the test.

1) Earlier or Later? We tried earlier but the Amercians got a whiff and PV Narasimha Rao had to back off. We learnt from that and made sure we didn't make any mistake the next time.

2) coz we didnt need to. The tests were scaled downed version of what would be a 200KT device. We could not explode anything bigger as it would have affected pur population there.

3) Subtle but it was there. It recognized us as a country with advanced nuke tech. Take the nuke deal and keep your weapons too!!

 

[Rahul M]

lethalforce, everyone works under compulsions, US included. when you work for decades trying to undermine a country's need for nukes, it's hard to change tune overnight when the NPA's in high places would holler from rooftops.

the deal did give us de-facto NWS status.

 

[trackwhack]

lethalforce, everyone works under compulsions, US included. when you work for decades trying to undermine a country's need for nukes, it's hard to change tune overnight when the NPA's in high places would holler from rooftops.

the deal did give us de-facto NWS status.

No it did not. There are no restrictions on tech transfer between nuclear weapons states and that includes China which is excluded from all other strategic technologies. If the Chinese wish to obtain the latest in ENR tech, they can buy it for a price. We cannot with the latest NSG clauses. We are not a recognized NWS, not de-facto, not anything. The nuclear deal was signed as a purely transactional business deal, with India gaining fuel access and the West gaining reactor market access.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

No it did not. There are no restrictions on tech transfer between nuclear weapons states and that includes China which is excluded from all other strategic technologies. If the Chinese wish to obtain the latest in ENR tech, they can buy it for a price. We cannot with the latest NSG clauses. We are not a recognized NWS, not de-facto, not anything. The nuclear deal was signed as a purely transactional business deal, with India gaining fuel access and the West gaining reactor market access.

With this deal more or less killed by Obama I wonder if we are really bound to the original terms (testing)or
Will we keep up the good behavior in hopes of reviving the deal in the future? This deal originally was for
Fuel and only fuel why reactors were allowed to be included so easily was a mistake.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

1) Earlier or Later? We tried earlier but the Amercians got a whiff and PV Narasimha Rao had to back off. We learnt from that and made sure we didn't make any mistake the next time.

2) coz we didnt need to. The tests were scaled downed version of what would be a 200KT device. We could not explode anything bigger as it would have affected pur population there.

3) Subtle but it was there. It recognized us as a country with advanced nuke tech. Take the nuke deal and keep your weapons too!!

Testing a larger warhead ideally in the Megaton range possibly in a remote island in the Indian Ocean
Would have been better for many reasons:

1 we may not get an opportunity to test one that large in the future. Though we may not
need to if we have advanced in our MIRV program
2.It would have shaken up Pakistan and would have made Chinese think twice about their
Continued assistance and proliferation to pak.
3. It would have forced recognition as a NWS
4 it would have given us possible leverage and a psychological advantage in
Negotiating the nuke deal.
5.the world respects power and force and we are not displaying it in testing
Kilotonage

 

[sayareakd]

LF, as far as timing o test is concern NDA was in hurry, they could have done it smartly by having all things under control, then LCA wont had suffered( btw NDA just pushed the button, good work was done by our BARC, DRDO & army). We knew it was first and last opp. Therefore 5 designes were tested, if you look at pic thermo nuke was tested to go inside A1 cone. BARC said we can make MT bombs. Plus our missile r accurate, so no need to take out whole city.
It is our actions which speaks, world knows that, defacto it allow us military reactors that is reason sufficent for peace loving country, also acknowledges what purpose it will be used for.

 

[trackwhack]

Yusuf, I know you disagree with the tonnage. But think public perception, who'd you rather face, Sugar Ray Leonard or Mike Tyson? Secondly like Lethal sadi, had we tested a Megatonne warhead, what would be the point of the 5 NWS? Testing a Megatonne warhead is defacto NWS. Right now we are level with the Pukes and North Korea.
Secondly, we dont even have demonstrated deterrence of 200KT, sure we have it, but we have not tested it. Even North Korea can claim a 50KT device based on their 5 KT yield.

Saya, while I agree with what you say, just like the points made by Yusuf, perception on the world stage matters man. We are the second largest nation in the world, we are not even in the UNSC. Power is not handed to you, you have to snatch it, pry it out of others.

 

[sayareakd]

track others dont have nuke submarine to back their nukes................................................................

 

[LETHALFORCE]

I am opening a new thread "Should India have tested a Megaton warhead during Pokran"

 

[anoop_mig25]

We have been under pressure from 70s. But the thing is both times we tested, it caught everyone off guard. So no there was no pressure on India as it has been on Iran. We faced sanctions after the tests and pretty comfortably rode over them.

@Yusuf and everybody else how we were able to rode over sanctions and what were sanctions and was there a UN specific sanction or only country specific sanctions