Will the US Bomb Pakistan?

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In The Media

Will the US Bomb Pakistan?

U.S. concerns about Pakistan's nuclear weapons are sometimes exaggerated; the risk of nuclear war between India and Pakistan is greater than that of terrorists gaining access to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

By George Perkovich

Published on Sep 27, 2011

Source: NPR

Speaking on NPR's To the Point, George Perkovich argued that worries over Pakistan's nuclear weapons are sometimes exaggerated in the United States and talked about in ways that are counterproductive. "There is a nuclear worry that I think is much greater, which is the possibility that a conflict with India will happen again," Perkovich said. He added that if India retaliates to an attack by a Pakistani terrorist group, there is a risk of military escalation that could lead to nuclear war. "The risk of nuclear war between Pakistan and India I think is well above zero," Perkovich said. He concluded that the key to stability in the region is getting “the Pakistani state apparatus not only to stop supporting groups that commit terror, but to try to turn against them."

About the Author

George Perkovich

Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, Senior Fellow

George Perkovich is the Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons and a senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Program. He works primarily on nuclear deterrence, nonproliferation, and disarmament issues, and is leading a study on nuclear signaling in the 21^st century.

Recent Work

Paper
How to Assess Nuclear ‘Threats’ in the Twenty-First Century
- George Perkovich
Commentary
“A House of Dynamite” Shows Why No Leader Should Have a Nuclear Trigger
- George Perkovich

Nuclear Policy South Asia Pakistan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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