Articles by Achin Vanaik

The Indian Left's position on the question of nuclear weapons free zones or WMD free zones has been characterised by several flip-flops. In west Asia, it has supported nuclearisation in the name of opposing American hegemony, while it retains a continued, if inconsistent, belief in nuclear deterrence in south Asia. But the Left now has to clarify its perspective on how best to deal with American military might. To do this needs recognition of the fact that it is in these two regions in Asia where nuclear weapons are most likely to be used and therefore the need for urgent denuclearisation.

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What nuclear risk reduction measures between India and Pakistan cannot do - they are never a substitute for nuclear disarmament - and what they can do, that is, the dangers they can attempt to address.

What do we now say about the possibility of not just states but at least a few non-state actors using weapons of mass destruction or resorting to chemical, biological and nuclear forms of attacks on enemy targets, territories and populations? A new threshold may have been crossed after September 11 that is a source of deep future worry.

We now have a national network of anti-nuclear groups who have come together to work on common objectives. But if the antinuclear movement is to progress then the different groups have to find ways of working together which do not simply respect their differences but also institutionalise discussion of differences so as to move towards overcoming them wherever possible. Where this is not possible, it is necessary to think of ways which can creatively advance the groups' common positions. Some proposals.