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A. Vinod Kumar is Associate Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), and a Visiting Faculty at the Institute of Foreign Policy Studies (IFPS), University of Calcutta, Kolkata. His research interests include nuclear policy issues (including non-proliferation, nuclear energy and deterrence), missile defence and India’s relations with the great powers. Kumar’s first book titled India and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime – The Perennial Outlier was published by the Cambridge University Press in April 2014. He has written extensively in acclaimed publications including Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, The National Interest, Strategic Analysis, South Asian Survey, Asia Times, Huffington Post, The Indian Economist and Vayu Aerospace Review, among others. Prior to joining IDSA, Kumar was a journalist with stints in print and audio-visual media platforms and have spearheaded pioneering endeavours in mass communications including the first political public relations campaign in Kerala. He has been a private broadcaster as well as a first generation online journalist and was part of many web ventures, including as Executive Editor of South Asia Monitor – a media diplomacy platform. Kumar was earlier a Fellow at the Indian Pugwash Society. His ongoing study is on the implications of missile defence for nuclear deterrence. Concurrently, he is also spearheading an archival mining effort to trace India’s nuclear and foreign policy history. Kumar is recipient of the Ministry of Defence Madras Medal.
‘No First Use’ is Not Sacrosanct: Need a Theatre-Specific Posture for Flexible Options
Nuclear doctrines and postures are dynamic processes that evolve with the security environment. Twenty years after India’s nuclear doctrine was first drafted, the time is ripe for a comprehensive review and suitable revisions.
India’s ASAT Test: Joining the Arms Race in Outer Space?
An ASAT in itself is not a defensive system that could ‘safeguard’ any asset. Instead, it is an offensive system that could solely be used for retribution in response to an attack on India’s space assets. In that sense, the capability can only be used as a deterrent against a potential rival.
Evidence on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Nuclear Disarmament
Associate Fellow, IDSA, Mr A. Vinod Kumar's written evidence to the ‘Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Nuclear Disarmament Inquiry’, conducted by the International Relations Committee of the House of Lords was published (NPT0015) by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on February 26, 2019.
A Shield Against the Bomb : Ballistic Missile Defence in a Nuclear Environment
For every major military invention in human history, there has quite always been a countervailing technology. Nuclear weapons have, however, remained an exception. Ballistic missile defence (BMD) has, in recent years, emerged as a formidable means to defend against nuclear-armed delivery systems though yet to prove their total reliability. What does the advent of BMD mean for the nuclear revolution – will it make nuclear weapons obsolete or in turn lead to a new arms race among great powers?
Struggles of Norm Construction in the Global Nuclear Order: An Indian Perspective on the Formative Years
Associate Fellow, IDSA, Mr A Vinod Kumar's research article, ‘Struggles of Norm Construction in the Global Nuclear Order: An Indian Perspective on the Formative Years,’ was published in Artha-Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 17, No. 4, 2018.
The article revisits the early struggles of nuclear norm construction through the perspective of an actor with multiple role identities, and analyses the conceptual issues associated with the normative structures during the formation of the nuclear non-proliferation regime.
Trump's volatile nuclear policy begins to take effect
Associate Fellow, IDSA, Mr A Vinod Kumar’s article on President Donald Trump’s nuclear policy, titled ‘Trump's volatile nuclear policy begins to take effect’ has been published by the British American Security Information Council on June 7, 2018.
As in many other policy realms, Trump’s nuclear mission also seems to be aimed at reversing the legacy of his immediate predecessor, while having no notable contribution to the initiatives pursued by his Republican predecessor to curb proliferation, even if through proactive means, argues the article.
Two standoffs and some nuclear lessons
The standoffs in Doklam and North Korea offer insights on how crisis stability remains subject to the complexities of deterrence, especially in theatres with multiple nuclear-armed states, and what this entails for disarmament.
Is the DPRK's nuclear march unstoppable?
Associate Fellow, IDSA, Mr A Vinod Kumar’s article on nuclear threat in the Korean Peninsula, titled ‘Is the DPRK's nuclear march unstoppable?’ was published by the British American Security Information Council on November 7, 2017.
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The Expectant Global Nuclear Energy Renaissance: Movers, Shakers and Spoilers
Associate Fellow, IDSA, Mr A Vinod Kumar's chapter titled ‘The Expectant Global Nuclear Renaissance: Movers, Shakers and Spoilers’ was published in Springer Edited Volume titled ‘Resurgence of Nuclear Power: Challenges and Opportunities for Asia’, co-edited by Nandakumar Janardhanan, Girijesh Pant and Ravi B Grover.
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The Saffron Surge and Tilt towards Absolutism
Associate Fellow, IDSA, Mr A Vinod Kumar’s opinion piece on the political environment after three years of the NDA government, titled ‘The Saffron Surge and Tilt towards Absolutism’, was published in ‘The Citizen’ on June 13, 2017.
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