Despite the advantage of hindsight, India and Pakistan have stumbled through one crisis after another and have navigated their way through a process of trial and error. Learning is a cognitive process and thus difficult to quantify; however, its manifestations in the form of establishment of dedicated institutional structures, enactment of related legislations, and administrative measures are clearly discernible.

This book, a mirror image of a book about Pakistan entitled Learning to Live with the Bomb by Naeem Salik, has been jointly authored by Pakistani and Indian scholars and provides an objective and insightful analysis of India’s experience of managing its nuclear capability including its doctrinal precepts, command and control, safety and security, export control and regulatory regimes, and its development of the ballistic missile defence system.