Overcoming Pakistan’s Nuclear Dangers by Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick’s book Overcoming Pakistan’s Nuclear Dangers makes a courageous attempt in advocating recognition of Pakistan as a ‘normal nuclear state’ (p. 12). The author asserts that the international community must now refrain from making Pakistan pay for its 2004 AQ Khan debacle and recognise that ‘the time has come to offer Pakistan a nuclear cooperation deal akin to India’ (p. 162). This would be equivalent to conferring nuclear legitimacy on Pakistan characterised by an expanding nuclear inventory, war-fighting doctrines, growing fundamentalism, insider collusion, the unresolved AQ Khan case and a ‘potential epicenter of nuclear terrorism’ (p. 134). Despite the ills, Fitzpatrick argues that incentives such as an India-comparable nuclear deal could induce Pakistan to adhere to the norms of the non-proliferation regime. This could help shape Pakistan’s nuclear posture and future nuclear dynamics in the region.