In June, the current US administration endorsed the idea to”integrate Pakistaninto the international nonproliferation regime.” In step with this goal, two Washington think tanks — the Stimson Center and the Carnegie Endowment — released the report “A Normal NuclearPakistan” in late August, which offered a tough, realistic analysis of Pakistan’s place in the global nuclear order while proposing a novel set of initiatives that could advance both South Asian strategic stability and “mainstream” Pakistan’s position.
The report proposed three broad ideas. First, Pakistan will remain outside the nuclear mainstream without serious changes to its nuclear policy. Second, Pakistan should embrace its already effective strategic deterrent in the service of political rather than military objectives. Third, Pakistan should start formally conforming to the norms of the international nuclear regime.The report also concluded that a normal nuclear Pakistan could not be a home for extremist groups that attack India and provoke crises.
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