excellent course
excellent presentation of researched work i enjoyed while doing the course i hope in future STIMSON present course of more understanding of nuclear learning.
Awesome
This course has provided me the best understanding about the nuclear politics of South Asia. i hope this would be informative for me.
excellent presentation of researched work i enjoyed while doing the course i hope in future STIMSON present course of more understanding of nuclear learning.
This course has provided me the best understanding about the nuclear politics of South Asia. i hope this would be informative for me.
It is an excellent Online free course. The most crucial issue of the region was discussed comprehensively with logical arguments by Academics, Scholars, Diplomats. The nuclear weapon is a reality in South Asia, by going through political, diplomat...
This course is very relevant to what is happening in South Asia. It helped us in understanding International Relations better.
I am very thankful to the management team of STIMSON's Nuclear Learning Course, which designed it very specific to the "emerged" nuclear crisis in South Asia. The content and language of the course is comprehensive. Chapters 5 and 6 are high...
A great course provided free of cost to all those interested! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the exhaustive lectures and reading through the backgrounders! What's more, the course being free is an icing on the cake! I would strongly urge all wh...
Painstaking effort that very comprehensivly deals with the scenario in South Asia. I had a great experience that I was able to listen to the reflections and analysis of a wide range of world class scholars.
It was truly an eye-opening course for me. Hailing from India and living through all the rhetoric coming from both sides of the political spectrum it really builds up nationalist tendencies in an average individual rather than analyzing the issue ...
It is a detailed and lucid course with experts clearly bringing out the different perspectives associated with nuclear weapons in South Asia. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and would actively recommend course to my network. I would also like you ...
Fantastic course, well structured and easily digestible following a clear structure which only aids the process. Really feel I know far more about an area i had very limited knowledge about. Amazing to have such a variety of world class exp...
Congratulations Stimson Centre team for conducting this online course. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole course structure, especially the experts' videos (with some familiar faces). Coming from a non-nuclear research background, I managed to understand...
I am a student of Defense and Diplomatic studies in Pakistan and after completing this course i feel that i have learned a lot related to my field and have done something very productive during the vacations. The course is extremely beneficial an...
Hi there, I finally completed the course and think that it's an extremely well-constructed and thorough course, consisting of different points of view, hence allowing one to make up their own mind based on the different perspectives presented. Fr...
I took the online MOOC on nuclear learning. Indeed, it contains great insight and learning. The analysts and experts are matchless, and especially Mr. Micheal Krepon is second to none. I want to extend my greatest gratitude to the organizers of ...
The fact that I knew nothing at all about the title Nuclear South Asia and therefore simply guessed the information that I had in my possession really has embarrassed me. I made assumptions that I am ashamed of about the subject in question. Howev...
It was an excellent oppertunity. I learned alot. Thanks for providing such an excellent opportunity for youngsters like us.
I believe the final quiz should have had new questions instead of repeating the questions from other quizzes. In general I feel this course is a well structured course with excellent videos and is a must for anyone who is interested in South Asian...
The offered course will enable the students to analyse more perfectly regarding the nuclear issues of South Asia. I am looking forward to make my analysis more mature. Hope my counter narratives will help the Stimson center to resolve this core is...
It's a great initiative and a good opportunity for the students to learn more about nuclear South Asia. I'm feeling fortunate to be a part of this course and looking forward to more courses.
I truly feel indebted to the Stimson Centre for having offered this great course online. It is hard for me to express my gratitude for I have achieved immense knowledge and insight from this course. I wish to sincerely thank Michael Krepon and ...
I heard about this free yet informative online course on social media and decided to join at once. Since India and Pakistan are nuclear armed states, allocate a huge share of their revenue on defense, as a result, major chunk of their population i...
This is one of the finest course I ever attended and free. The subject was well chosen by this prestigious institution and is need of the time as both India and Pakistan are almost always in escalated threat mode even in peacetime, the presence an...

Nuclear Learning | A Stimson Initiative
About the instructor
Michael Krepon, Co-Founder & Senior Associate
Michael Krepon co-founded the Stimson Center in 1989. He served as Stimson’s President and CEO until 2000, and continues to direct Stimson’s programming on nucler and space issues. He was appointed the University of Virginia’s Diplomat Scholar, where he taught from 2001-2010. He is the author and editor of twenty-one books, most recently The Lure and Pitfalls of MIRVs: From the First to the Second Nuclear Age. He worked previously at the Carnegie Endowment, the State Department’s Arms Control and Disarmament Agency during the Carter Administration, and on Capitol Hill. He received the Carnegie Endowment's Thérèse Delpech Memorial Award in 2015 for lifetime achievement in non-governmental work to reduce nuclear dangers.
Sameer Lalwani, Senior Associate & Co-Director
Sameer Lalwani is a Senior Associate and Co-Director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center where he researches nuclear deterrence, inter-state rivalry and crises, strategic culture, ethnic politics, civil conflict, and counter/insurgency. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University (GWU) Department of Political Science. Previously, he was a Stanton Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow at the RAND Corporation. Lalwani completed his PhD from MIT’s Department of Political Science with dissertation research examining national security decision-making in South Asia. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the British Archives. Lalwani’s work has been accepted or published in a number of venues including Security Studies, the Journal of Strategic Studies, Small Wars & Insurgencies, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, CTC Sentinel, the New York Times, as well as books published by RAND, Cato Institute, Sage, and Oxford University Press. He has been a Predoctoral Fellow at GWU Elliott School’s Institute for Security and Conflict Studies, an Adjunct at the RAND Corporation, a Visiting Fellow at India’s Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and Pakistan’s Lahore University of Management Sciences, a Research Fellow at the New America Foundation, a Tobin Scholar, a Smith Richardson World Politics and Statecraft Fellow, and a member of the CNAS Next Gen National Security Leaders Program.
ABOUT THE COURSE
What Is Nuclear South Asia?
Nuclear South Asia: A Guide to India, Pakistan, and the Bomb is a free, open online course produced by the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center, a nonpartisan policy research center in Washington, DC. The course provides the emerging generation of strategic analysts in India, Pakistan, and elsewhere a platform to study nuclear competition and dangers on the Subcontinent.
Nuclear South Asia is the most comprehensive and diverse collection of perspectives regarding India and Pakistan's nuclear trajectories available online. It includes video interviews with more than 80 leading practitioners and scholars from India, Pakistan, and the United States, including former senior diplomats and military officers.
How to Enroll in Nuclear South Asia?
To enroll in Nuclear South Asia, click the "Enroll for free" button above. All you need to do is provide your name and email address, and then create a password. Read the detailed enrollment instructions.
Why Enroll in Nuclear South Asia?
Upon completing Nuclear South Asia, students will be able to:- Understand the factors motivating India and Pakistan’s nuclear programs, doctrines, and postures;
- Assess the impact of emerging policies and capabilities on deterrence stability;
- Describe India and Pakistan’s positions vis-à-vis the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other elements of the global nuclear order;
- Analyze crisis episodes, management challenges, and confidence-building efforts on the Subcontinent; and
- Propose innovate solutions to reduce nuclear competition and dangers in South Asia.
Students have the option of earning a Stimson-issued certificate, an important credential for academic and professional advancement. To earn a certificate, students must watch the video lessons, complete the quizzes, and pass a final exam. Download the course checklist and instructions to track your progress toward a Stimson-issued certificate.
Course Contents
Course Curriculum
- Backgrounder: Key Events in South Asia's Nuclear History
- Lesson 2.1: Models of Nuclear Proliferation and Mythmaking
- Lesson 2.2: Atoms for Peace and Civilian Nuclear Energy
- Lesson 2.3: The Road to Weaponization
- Lesson 2.4: India's 1974 "Peaceful Nuclear Explosion"
- Lesson 2.5: U.S. Sanctions and South Asia's Nuclearization
- Lesson 2.6: The NPT, the CTBT, and India's Near-Test
- Lesson 2.7: India and Pakistan's 1998 Nuclear Tests
- Lesson 2.8: Foreign Cooperation and Proliferation in South Asia
- Lesson 2.9: U.S. Nonproliferation Legislation
- Lesson 2.10: India's Nuclear Ambivalence
- Lesson 2.11: Personal Reflections on the 1998 Nuclear Tests
- Chapter 2: Quiz
- Chapter 2: Recommended Readings
- Backgrounder: Nuclear Policy and Posture
- Lesson 3.1: Nuclear Doctrines and Postures in South Asia
- Lesson 3.2: Sources of Doctrine and Posture in South Asia
- Lesson 3.3: The Nuclear Fuel Cycle
- Lesson 3.4: Nuclear Warheads
- Lesson 3.5: Strategic Delivery Vehicles
- Lesson 3.6: Assessing Nuclear Arsenals
- Lesson 3.7: Nuclear Substitution
- Backgrounder: Nuclear Command-and-Control (C&C)
- Lesson 3.8: Nuclear Command-and-Control (C&C) in South Asia
- Lesson 3.9: Deterrence Stability in South Asia
- Lesson 3.10: Deterrence Credibility in South Asia
- Lesson 3.11: India's "Cold Start" Doctrine
- Lesson 3.12: Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNWs) in South Asia
- Chapter 3: Quiz
- Chapter 3: Recommended Readings
- Lesson 4.1: Nuclear Proliferation and Nonproliferation
- Lesson 4.2: The Global Nuclear Order
- Lesson 4.3: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and South Asia
- Lesson 4.4: The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and South Asia
- Lesson 4.5: The Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) and South Asia
- Lesson 4.6: AQ Khan and the Global Nuclear Order
- Lesson 4.7: Laying the Groundwork for the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal
- Lesson 4.8: U.S. Perspectives on the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal
- Lesson 4.9: Indian Perspectives on the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal
- Lesson 4.10: Pakistani Perspectives on the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal
- Lesson 4.11: The Origins and Role of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
- Lesson 4.12: India, Pakistan, and NSG Membership
- Lesson 4.13: Assessing India and Pakistan's NSG Chances
- Chapter 4: Quiz
- Chapter 4: Recommended Readings
- Lesson 5.1: Crises and Crisis Management in South Asia
- Lesson 5.2: Escalation Dangers in South Asia
- Lesson 5.3: Leadership Beliefs, Signaling, and Threat Credibility
- Lesson 5.4: Inadvertent Escalation
- Backgrounder: The 1986-87 Brasstacks Crisis
- Backgrounder: The 1990 Compound Crisis
- Lesson 5.5: The Nuclearization of Crises on the Subcontinent
- Backgrounder: The 1999 Kargil Conflict
- Lesson 5.6: The 1999 Kargil Conflict and the Role of Nuclear Weapons
- Lesson 5.7: Crisis Management During the 1999 Kargil Conflict
- Lesson 5.8: Lessons Learned from the 1999 Kargil Conflict
- Backgrounder: The 2001-02 Twin Peaks Crisis
- Lesson 5.9: The 2001-02 Twin Peaks Crisis and the Role of Nuclear Weapons
- Lesson 5.10: Crisis Management during the 2001-02 Twin Peaks Crisis
- Lesson 5.11: Lessons Learned from the 2001-02 Twin Peaks Crisis
- Backgrounder: The 2008 Mumbai Crisis
- Lesson 5.12: The 2008 Mumbai Crisis
- Chapter 5: Quiz
- Chapter 5: Recommended Readings
- Lesson 6.1: Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) and Nuclear-Risk Reduction Measures (NRRMs)
- Lesson 6.2: Cold War and Post-Cold War CBMs
- Lesson 6.3: The Lahore Process
- Lesson 6.4: Key CBMs and NRRMs in South Asia
- Lesson 6.5: Obstacles to CBMs in South Asia
- Lesson 6.6: Suggestions for Future CBMs
- Chapter 6: Quiz
- Chapter 6: Recommended Readings
- Backgrounder: The Future of "Nuclear South Asia"
- Lesson 7.1: Ballistic Missile Defenses (BMDs), Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs), and Counterforce Targeting
- Lesson 7.2: MIRVs, BMDs, and Counterforce Targeting on the Subcontinent
- Lesson 7.3: The No-First-Use (NFU) Debate
- Lesson 7.4: India and Pakistan's Maritime Interests and Threat Perceptions
- Lesson 7.5: Nuclear Weapons and the Indian Ocean
- Lesson 7.6: China's Role in "Nuclear South Asia"
- Lesson 7.7: China's Future Role in Crisis Management
- Chapter 7: Quiz
- Chapter 7: Recommended Readings