🚨 New piece in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (
@BulletinAtomic
) on India's MIRV test & Sino-Indian nuclear stability🚨
"...The MIRV test and the solidifying of strategic stability will open up space for China-India conventional crisis escalation"
Absolutely thrilled to share that I'll be an Assistant Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver from Fall 2022!
@JosefKorbel
@UofDenver
I'm extremely excited and honored to be joining this amazing set of faculty, staff & students!
Defended my dissertation yesterday! Lookout world, they're calling me a Dr. now?!
Extremely grateful to my amazing committee, Matthew Evangelista, Sarah Kreps [
@sekreps
], Jonathan Kirshner, Judith Reppy, & my external reader, David Holloway for helping me get here!
@cornellgov
F-16s "certain to ultimately erode the national security of the United States and some of its closest allies..."Throwback from the archives of US Senator John Glenn urging President Ronald Reagan to not sell F-16s to Pakistan in 1987
#F16
#IndiaPakistan
#Balakote
#Twitterstorians
Incredibly excited to be joining the faculty at
@JosefKorbel
at
@UofDenver
this fall!
I can't wait to start working with this fantastic group of faculty, staff, and students!
Happy to have finally submitted my PhD dissertation, Delivering the Bomb: Nuclear Forces, Ambiguity, and the Non-proliferation Order.
Many thanks to everyone who helped make this long journey possible! The list is very long but you know who you are, and I am extremely grateful!
In this piece for the
@washingtonpost
's Monkey Cage, I discuss the cyberattack on India's Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant - the myth of the 'air gap', possibility of North Korean involvement & potential for military escalation
@monkeycageblog
#CyberAttack
Happy to announce that I will be a Stanton Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow at
@StanfordCISAC
next academic year!
Looking forward to a great year ahead with this fantastic group of scholars!
Excited that my new article in
@GSQ_Journal
is now out!
Argument: The International Audience is an important but overlooked third actor in nuclear crises. I use the 1999 Kargil War as a case study. Other examples from Cuban Missile Crisis & Ussuri Crisis.
First quarter as faculty
@JosefKorbel
@UofDenver
done! What a wonderful, instructive, and absolutely gorgeous (and sometimes snowy) last few months it’s been. Looking forward to the next session already!
My new piece on AUKUS and Non-Proliferation in the
@WashingtonPost
's
@MonkeyCageblog
.
TL/DR: The French benefited from a similar deal; the non-proliferation concerns are real; but lots precedents of such submarine technology transfer by U.S.
#nuclear
Very excited and happy to receive this grant from
@Apsiainfo
! Looking forward to continuing this project with
@Shubha186
on security policies in the Global South.
Also, a first collaboration between
@JosefKorbel
and
@TheHertieSchool
!
Pleased to welcome
@DebakD
to our panel of experts. He brings with him expertise on regional nuclear powers, international history, foreign policy, public opinion, and South Asian politics. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration!
In my
@BulletinAtomic
piece on India's accidental missile launch, I argue that we were very lucky that the incident did not lead to military escalation.
Measures for accidental launches need to be agreed upon immediately. We may not be so lucky next time.
My new piece in
@Lawfare
on the State of Nuclear Instability in South Asia
South Asia is in a quadrilateral nuclear competition. China is responding to US nuclear modernization. India to China’s force expansion & Pakistan is trying to not lag behind India
Perfect day to start the Fellow’s program at
@StanfordCISAC
! Extremely grateful to be back, and so excited to see Encina Hall for the first time since March 2020!
Many thanks to the University of Denver's Undergraduate Research Journal for featuring me in their "Faculty Spotlight" series.
Thanks to
@kruger_eli
for the interview as well!
@JosefKorbel
@UofDenver
Here is the link:
Glad that 'Chernobyl' has put the spotlight on nuclear accidents. It would be incorrect, however, to think that the culture of secrecy & ham-handedness was/is unique to the Soviet Union. Nuclear accidents can happen in ANY country & the US has had its fair share of accidents too.
Quick recap to 1971: "The Indians are bastards anyway," Kissinger had told Nixon.
Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) volume that records this interaction:
#Modi
#Kissinger
#USIndia
#ColdWarHistory
How will India respond to China's new missile silos?
In my
@WarOnTheRocks
piece, I argue that the response will be measured. There will be no knee-jerk reaction. India will continue modernizing but will rely on its second-strike forces & minimum deterrent
Nehru would not accept US Military Aid - 1968 meeting of US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
At a dinner (1956/57), Nehru got up and said, ‘‘If necessary India will remain the last great unarmed country in the world. We don’t want any arms race.’’
#ColdWar
#twitterstorians
The French Nuclear Weapons Program didn't follow any articulated strategic rationale & the Mirage IV was "A military lemon of the first order"
Must-read
@coldwarhistoryj
article on French nuclear history from
@seb6philippe
& Benoît Pelopidas!
@NKnowledges
I'm not sure if ISA is considering some kind of credit for next year's registration or reimbursement for folks who're losing money because of Canada's visa policy/inefficiencies etc.?
This hits graduate students hard especially.
@IsaNet
@DeborahAvant1
@ProfKMcNamara
Forced to withdraw frm
#ISA2023
. No visa despite best efforts+early application (Sept 2022). Doesn't help that thr isn't a way to reach Canadian authorities other than the web form (as good as talking to a wall!).
P.S: No, travelling across the Commonwealth isn't 'easy' for us.
Very pleased to be featured in the new
@ForeignAffairs
Graduate School Forum Showcase on "Technology and the Human Lens" highlighting
@JosefKorbel
among other APSIA schools!
Looking forward to this talk at Princeton's Center for International Security Studies (CISS) on Thursday!
@PrincetonCISS
Please come by if you're around!
My latest for
@TheWilsonCenter
- 1974 - Mrs.Gandhi thinks we are a profoundly selfish and cynical counterrevolutionary power. She will accordingly proceed to develop nuclear weapons...preaching non-violence all the way -
@NPIHP
@CWIHP
#NuclearHistory
The Mig-21 downing an F-16 story was dubious from the beginning. This report confirms the suspicions coming from the lack of evidence & jingoistic & unsubstantiated claims made by the BJP. GOI's credibility is now at a new low.
#Balakot
#India
#Pakistan
Breaking: The government has agreed to rescind DHS and ICE rules barring international students attending online universities from staying in the U.S., per a hearing this afternoon in Harvard and MIT's lawsuit against the agencies.
Come check out this panel on 'Secrecy and Deniability in the Nuclear Realm'
@StanfordCISAC
if you're in the Bay Area this Thursday.
@reidpauly
,
@laurenjborja
, and I will be sharing some of our new research, and
@GabrielleHecht
will be chair/discussant!
It’s always fantastic to find people you know in the archives! Especially more so when it’s
@JimGoldgeier
with a paper that is as relevant today as it was in 1998!
#FromTheArchives
#NATO
Graduate students at Cornell's Department of Government express solidarity with
#BlackLivesMatter
. Minority lives matter everyday and not just in moments of crisis. Here are some ways in which academia can make more actionable commitments to statements of solidarity.
@cornellgov
My latest for
@SAVoices
. 20 years after Kargil, India needs to revisit its diplomatic successes at both the domestic & international level. There needs to be an institutionalized agenda to put diplomacy first & ad hoc show of strength second.
#KargilWar
Podcast alert! It was a lot of fun having this conversation on nuclear weapons, proliferation, luck, and South Asia with
@lalindia
on
@csa_stanford
's SAS-Pod.
@lalindia
talks to
@StanfordCISAC
fellow Debak Das (
@DebakD
) about his research on nuclear powers, national /human security, the politics of nuclear proliferation, and the role of luck in keeping the world safe.
Good news: We've intercepted the missiles
Bad news: It was from our silos
1980s Bulletin of Atomic Scientists illustrations were on point. Scathing, scary, and humorous.
@BulletinAtomic
#FromTheArchives
Pertinent given the state of the safety of the U.S. nuclear complex today.
All of social media had to mobilize for this proforma non-committal statement?
India needs oxygen, medical supplies & vaccines.
India's neighbors & other states with far limited logistical capabilities are helping with what they can. But thoughts are nice too.
#IndiaNeedsOxygen
Our hearts go out to the Indian people in the midst of the horrific COVID-19 outbreak. We are working closely with our partners in the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and India's health care heroes.
So sobering to see Josef Korbel’s second book, “Danger in Kashmir” based on his experience as the chair of the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan on display at
@Bahrisons_books
.
Particularly exciting as its on my first visit back to Delhi as
@JosefKorbel
faculty!
What a pleasure to have Amb.
@Steven_Pifer
give a guest lecture in my Nuclear Weapons and International Security class today!
@JosefKorbel
@UofDenver
Very grateful to see an absolute masterclass on the nuclear & other foreign policy issues surrounding Russia’s war on Ukraine!
Excited to moderate this stellar panel on new Nuclear Dynamics in South Asia with
@bpervaiz
@ruheeneog
@kulkarnitanvi
&
@Mansoor_Ehmed
We'll discuss everything from nuclear forces to possible CBMs in South Asia
Time: March 23 (Wed), 10:30am/IST
Register:
How is the United States going to maintain any credibility as a world leader if it can’t even bring itself to vote in favor of a humanitarian pause/corridor and save civilian lives? Truly shocking by the Biden administration.
United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly called for an immediate humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas, demanded aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip, protection of civilians. It passed with 120 yes votes, while 45 abstained and 14 - including Israel, US - voted no.
AQ Khan’s greatest accomplishment was convincing the world that he mattered more than he did. He did not start from scratch and his role in the 1998 tests was marginal.
Extremely happy to have my new article (open access!) out at
@GSQ_Journal
!
The article argues that the international audience is an independent third actor in nuclear crises. It also explains India's extraordinary restraint during the Kargil War (1999).
🚨 New Article Alert, from our new issue (Volume 1, Issue 4): "'The Courtroom of World Opinion': Bringing the International Audience into Nuclear Crises" by
@DebakD
Read OPEN ACCESS here:
On deployment of nuclear submarines against Pakistan - the rules of engagement on the INS Chakra on lease from Russia clearly state that they would not be used in war or combat. Only for training and operational experience
#India
#SSN
Good discussion here:
If this isn't tear gas, then India may have some explaining to do on international forums on the use of toxic substances on civilians.
Friendly reminder that India is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention as of 1997.
#JamiaMilliaIslamia
#DelhiPolice
@OPCW
Pakistan’s Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Munir Khan hoping that OPEC can help financially support the IAEA in expanding nuclear power support to developing countries in 1974.
9 days before India’s ‘Smiling Buddha’ Peaceful Nuclear Explosion.
#NuclearHistory
#FromtheArchives
For the third consecutive day on the first page of the Times of India. Must we all wake up to Donald Trump Jr’s face every day? A sad reflection on the Times in India.
Kissinger in 1971: If India was allowed to dismember Pakistan it would wreck the balance of power, reward aggression and the United States would be “finished … through … forever.”
Good review of the "Inevitability of Tragedy" & Kissinger the Realist.
My piece on the US withdrawal from the JCPOA for
@livemint
- I try to make sense of this Pandora's box of possibly Iran going nuclear, the US trying regime change, secondary sanctions and their effects on India.
#Nuclear
#IranDealWithdrawl
#IranDeal
#Trump
In solidarity with all the brave students and protestors who demonstrated incredible resolve and courage to fight for democracy today. Tear gas, bullets, internet shutdowns, unlawful incarceration, and lathicharges cannot quell the democratic spirit.
#NRC_CAA
#India
Looking forward to this conversation on Arms Control and South Asia with Michael Krepon,
@bpervaiz
, and
@toby_dalton
tomorrow hosted by
@Carnegienpp
!
It's online and at 10:30am (EST). Tune in! 👇
⏰Don't forget!⏰ Tune in tomorrow at 10:30AM EST for a conversation on southern Asia and the future of arms control with Michael Krepon,
@DebakD
, and
@bpervaiz
, moderated by
@toby_dalton
.
Register today:
When you’re accompanying the British Defense Minister to Washington,DC and about to meet Robert McNamara to negotiate nuclear missiles - you’ve got to stock up on the on-flight booze and cigarettes. (September, 1962)
#Archives
#Nuclear
#Twitterstorians
#DiplomaticHistory
Quick, someone give the Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) a quick lesson on how radars work. C-minus for military planning. A+ for propaganda.
#Balakot
#Modi
#WhatisaRadar
?
#IndianAirforce
Found in the mail today -
@Rupal_N_Mehta
’s awesome new book in the
@BtGProjectDC
@OUPPolitics
book series!
Excited to be in a book discussion on it with Rupal, Scott Sagan, and
@JimGoldgeier
on 7/30.
(Clichés about book covers aside, what a great cover!)
Join the Dean of
@JosefKorbel
, Fritz Mayer, and I in a conversation on "Nuclear Crises and Proliferation Today."
We'll discuss nuclear weapons, Oppenheimer & cyber/nuclear risks in international security.
Time: Friday, Sept 15: 12:00 pm (MST)
Register➡️
Stellar new article on Cold War Indian Diplomatic History, Exercising Leverage & Development Aid by Gaurav Garg in
@southasiajsas
!
Nehru (1955): It might surprise people to know how American money is being spread all over the country
#ColdWar
#GlobalSouth
What a fantastic day of presentations and great end to the second quarter of teaching at
@JosefKorbel
!
You know things have gone really well when students start rebutting deterrence theory using memes. Pun game is strong, and future is bright!
#nuclear
@UofDenver
6 people were killed and 101 were injured when an IED strapped on a motorbike went off at Malegaon on Sept 29, 2008 - BJP giving a Lok Sabha ticket to the perpetrator & terror suspect Pragya Singh Thakur makes a mockery of national security
#PragyaThakur
The academic communities
@CornellGov
and
@StanfordCISAC
have been pillars of support for the most critical and difficult periods of the last few years. I cannot thank them enough or repay the debt - but pledge to pay it forward at every opportunity that I possibly can.
Digitized Press Information Bureau Archives of the Government of India (1947-2001). This promises to be a very important and helpful research tool for all interested in Indian archives and history.
#Twitterstorians
#Archives
#IndianHistory
My book review of Vipin Narang's "Seeking the Bomb: Strategies of Nuclear Proliferation" is out in Political Science Quarterly!
@PSQuarterly
@NarangVipin
Happy to share a pdf with anyone who is interested.
Link:
Quite shameful that only 157 of the 1222 candidates for the Lok Sabha are women - with a rising percentage of women voters, & presumably rising salience of women's issues in the political/social sphere one would have expected more tickets to women candidates.
#IndianElections2019
Absolute privilege to have
@TKassenova
give a guest lecture in class today!
@JosefKorbel
@UofDenver
So grateful for such a comprehensive & thoughtful account of Kazakhstan’s decision to give up nuclear weapons in both lecture and this must read new book!
From the archives. After the May 1974 Indian PNE, a Front Against Indian Nuclear Threat - cleverly acronymed FAINT - from Rawalpindi wrote to many western countries expressing Pakistan’s anxieties and trying to gather diplomatic support.
#Nuclear
#twitterstorians
#India
#Paksitan
I managed to wear a sari and defend my dissertation! Thank you to my dream team committee that was incredibly supportive -
@irfannooruddin
@ErikVoeten
and
@laiabalcells
!! What a great 6 years at
@GUGovt
!
I guess I'm a Dr. now?!
Next up, Florence!
My latest policy brief for
@orfonline
in which I examine whether India has been able to leverage its status as a nuclear weapons state to further its foreign policy objectives and what can be done about it.
#Nuclear
#India
#CTBT
#NSG
#IndoPacific
This simulation was such a pleasure to organize with
@HilaryMatfess
&
@MarieeBerry
. What fantastic & engaged students!
Also great to have more folks discuss (
#nuclear
) escalation dynamics, different stakeholders, & potential routes to war in South Asia.
@Sie_Center
@JosefKorbel
One of my favorite finds this summer of archival research. Two recipes by former Indian Foreign Secretary Amb. T.N. Kaul. Looks like when when he wasn’t ruffling Kissinger’s feathers he was cooking a Rogan Josh!
#Twitterstorians
#Archives
#DiplomaticHistory
#IndianDiplomacy
Pakistan Army tests its short-range, tube-launched "Nasr" ballistic missile. Designed as a "tactical nuclear weapon" (TNW) to carry a small nuclear bomb to a target 60 kilometres away, a Nasr strike would be Pakistan's ultimate response to a successful Indian "Cold Start" attack.
NEWS: International students at colleges that remain fully online this fall will not be able to take classes and remain in the U.S. But students will be allowed to take a mix of online and in-person classes, according to new government guidance
Looking forward to this conversation on "Have & Have Nots: How Power Shapes Nuclear Regimes" tomorrow at 1pm(PST)/4pm(EST) with
@GabrielleHecht
@VincentIntondi
&
@CLMM
Part of
@FSIStanford
's REDI's "Critical Conversations: Race in Global Affairs" series.
China's hypersonic missiles are not a Sputnik moment. Instead of trying to outbid China in a costly arms race, the U.S. needs to rein in its ever-expanding missile defense mission.
Check out
@StanfordCISAC
's
@Sannecjv
's
@WarOnTheRocks
piece to know more.
I'm immensely grateful to all my mentors, friends, and allies without whom this would not have been possible. I'd like to especially thank my advisors, Matthew Evangelista,
@SeKreps
, Jonathan Kirshner, Judith Reppy, and David Holloway for their support and faith.
The
@StanfordCISAC
community expresses solidarity with
#BlackLivesMatter
, condemns police brutality, and pledges itself to an actionable plan to include more Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, and LGBTQI scholars and voices. It's a long road ahead but we can and have to do better
The CISAC community expresses anguish and outrage at the brutal killing of George Floyd—and countless other black Americans who have lost due to police brutality and racism.
🚨 Looking forward to speaking at this
@JosefKorbel
&
@MSUDenver
event on U.S. Foreign Policy & what it actually misses out on. A view from outside the beltway.
This is a part of the
@DoorstepPodcast
by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.
Thursday at MSU!