, that the build-up of nuclear arsenal is for national security purposes and not for attack. Thus, if the Soviet Union or the U.S. now consider India and/or Pakistan a threat, many contend it is only themselves they have to blame, “The U.S. and Russia share some of the blame for India and Pakistan’s new nuclear stature. Both ignored, provoked, or coddled Pakistan and India as part of Cold War gamesmanship. The U.S. sold India nuclear reactors in 1963—the excuse them, as it often is now, is that this sale would increase U.S. leverage—and was recently offering new reactors. The fuel from those reactors is believed to have been reprocessed by India into weapons-grade uranium” (The India-Pakistan 1).
The Indian government believes that it can only retain hegemony if it has the nuclear arsenal capable of defending itself from threats. It perceives China and Pakistan as a threat, and even views the U.S. as a potential hostile opponent. This perception has been built up over decades. Fir
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