Cooperation in Fissile Material Management: The View from India

India and its neighborhood comprise a region with considerable potential for nuclear/radiological terrorism. The abundant presence of nuclear materials, terrorist activity – including groups with a potential for indiscriminate mass destruction – and inter-state conflict between India and Pakistan together produce an environment in which vulnerability to acts of nuclear terrorism is significant. This paper gauges the level of threat, examines Indian policy responses, and assesses the scope for international cooperation in reducing the threat. Though security has been tightened considerably since the terrorist acts of 9/11 and subsequent major breaches of security in India, problem areas remain with respect to a range of materials from the radioactive to the fissile. Physical security of the infrastructure and the insider threat need to be addressed. On the military side, the relationship between physical security, inter-state conflict, and terrorism is a key problem area. The paper first focuses on the positive and negative factors affecting potential international bilateral and multilateral cooperation, drawing attention to the points at which Indian interests coincide with those of the international community and those at which there is divergence. It calls for an evolutionary approach that begins with the identification of non-problematic areas of cooperation, particularly on the civilian side, and builds on these to develop wide-ranging cooperation that would help secure fissile materials not only in India, but in the region as a whole.