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 NUCLEAR LEARNING AND "NUCLEAR SOUTH ASIA"
What Is Nuclear Learning?
Nuclear Learning is an online initiative produced by the Stimson Center’s South Asia Program to sharpen strategic analysts’ understanding of nuclear programs, doctrines, and postures in South Asia and beyond. Nuclear Learning pursues this mission by making diverse viewpoints accessible via open online courses, nurturing vibrant communities of “nuclear learners” on social media, and providing opportunities for students to engage with experts in the field.
What Is "Nuclear South Asia?"
The first Nuclear Learning course—“Nuclear South Asia: A Guide to India, Pakistan, and the Bomb”—is available for free at www.nuclearlearning.org. "Nuclear South Asia" is the most comprehensive 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. In addition to lectures, the course includes multiple-choice quizzes, recommended readings, and a pass/fail final exam.
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.
Can Students Earn a Certificate for Completing "Nuclear South Asia?"
Yes! Nuclear Learning provides free certificates of course completion issued through our partner Accredible to recognize the achievement of course graduates and facilitate their academic and career advancement. These digital credentials allow students to present a portable, trustworthy record of their achievements to anyone at any time.
Accredible is an industry-leading digital credentialing platform, which allows users to securely issue, manage, track, and verify their certificates. Its platform is used by over 400 organizations worldwide, including Google, UC Berkeley, and IEEE. More than 1,000,000 students have received certificates or other credentials through their platform.
Each certificate displays the following information by default:
- Your name, the Stimson Center logo, and the title of the completed course; and
- A signature from Stimson Center Co-Founder Michael Krepon.
Each certificate is downloadable as a PDF file. You can also share your certificate on via LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, or a unique URL.
To earn a digital certificate, students must watch the video lessons, complete the quizzes, and pass a final exam. Download the course checklist and follow the instructions to ensure your progress toward a digital certificate.
Can Students Stay Connected to Nuclear Learning after Taking "Nuclear South Asia?"
Yes! After completing "Nuclear South Asia," students can stay connected to the Nuclear Learning online community and continue learning about evolving nuclear and strategic dynamics in South Asia and beyond by subscribing to the Nuclear Learning YouTube channel, following the Nuclear Learning Facebook page, and following Nuclear Learning on Twitter.
What's Next for Nuclear Learning?
Due to high demand, a second Nuclear Learning course on conventional and nuclear deterrence in Southern Asia is under development for release in 2019. Stay tuned!
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