Session 12: Defence over Offense

Offensive realism, the theory first proposed by John J. Mearsheimer, holds the anarchic nature of the international political system to be responsible for aggressive behaviour on behalf of states which may ultimately lead to wars. He presents this interesting notion by boiling down causes of the First World War. In his opinion, states preferred offensive over defensive strategies because of the creation of new forms of weaponry. Instilling a belief that offence would not only allow expansion but will also minimise losses.

Presently, the International political system has moved towards a more defensive approach. For instance, in the race for developing nuclear technology most states followed suit only when their competitors had invented the catastrophic nuclear bomb. Considering that the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had instilled fear among states regarding the catastrophic effects of nuclear weapons after World War Two.

Pakistan developed the nuclear bomb after India had successfully carried out its nuclear explosion. However, both states must not be thinking of utilising these on the others territory for the fear that the two are so close that there would be equal likelihood of destruction on both sides of the border. Hence, nuclear technology may broadly be seen as a means of deterrence in this case. In addition, neither of the two states is willing to sign the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) unless the other state does. Therefore, it is a means of for both India and Pakistan to keep the other at bay. This may explain why the current era is a relatively stable period for Inter-state relations.