The Strategic Chain: China, India, Pakistan, and the United States

Abstract

The proposed Brookings project would focus on the “strategic chain” linking Pakistan, India, China, and the United States, a series of relationships that are resulting in the most active nuclear weapons, missile, and missile defense programs anywhere in the world today. The project’s main goal would be to identify policies and measures that could promote stability and reduce incentives for arms buildups between key pairs of protagonists and within southern Asia more generally while also contributing to a better understanding of the various strategic interconnections among these four nuclear-armed powers. Considerable policy analysis has been devoted to bilateral strategic relationships between Pakistan and India, India and China, and China and the United States. The strategic dynamics of the “southern Asia” region cannot be understood or effectively addressed on a strictly bilateral basis. While Pakistan responds strategically to India, India responds both to Pakistan and China, which in turn responds both to India and the United States. The 15-month study would be based on research conducted by Brookings and foreign experts and would draw on the results of consultations that will be fact-based, offer key background, and involve 2-3 former senior officials and scholars from each of the four countries. The key deliverable would be a report (and related briefings as suggested by PASCC) that would provide analysis of the “strategic chain” and recommendations for promoting stability and moderating competition both between pairs of countries and on a region-wide basis.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Aug 10, 2016
Source ID
N002441510038

Entities

People

  • Robert Einhorn

Organizations

  • Brookings Institution
  • United States Navy

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Strategic Security Studies