Description

Strategic South Asia is a free online course produced by the Stimson Center South Asia Program’s Strategic Learning initiative. Strategic South Asia is the most comprehensive collection of perspectives regarding India and Pakistan’s strategic and 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. Strategic South Asia’s chapter learning objectives are also available for download.

The Strategic Learning initiative also offers a flexible edition of Strategic South Asia. This edition is meant for instructors, professors, and students seeking flexible, customizable content for online learning. It is identical in content to “Strategic South Asia: Complete Edition,” but does not require sequential progress through course content, and does not offer a certificate of completion.

Course Syllabus:

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGIC SOUTH ASIA

• Lesson 1.1: Course Introduction
• Lesson 1.2: Additional Resources

CHAPTER TWO: SOUTH ASIA’S NUCLEAR HISTORY

• Lesson 2.1: Development from “Atoms for Peace”
• Lesson 2.2: Engagement and Sanctions
• Lesson 2.3: 1998 and Beyond
• Chapter 2: Quiz

CHAPTER THREE: NUCLEAR POLICIES AND POSTURES

• Lesson 3.1: Nuclear Doctrine in South Asia
• Lesson 3.2: Warheads and Delivery Systems
• Lesson 3.3: Nuclear Command and Control
• Lesson 3.4: Deterrence Stability in South Asia
• Chapter 3: Quiz

CHAPTER FOUR: THE GLOBAL NUCLEAR ORDER

• Lesson 4.1: Nuclear Proliferation and Nonproliferation
• Lesson 4.2: Treaties and Agreements
• Lesson 4.3: The Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal
• Lesson 4.4: The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
• Chapter 4: Quiz

CHAPTER FIVE: NUCLEAR CRISES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT

• Lesson 5.1: Crises and Crisis Management in South Asia
• Lesson 5.2: The Nuclearization of Crises on the Subcontinent
• Lesson 5.3: The 1999 Kargil Conflict
• Lesson 5.4: The 2001-02 Twin Peaks Crisis
• Lesson 5.5: The 2008 Mumbai Crisis
• Chapter 5: Quiz

CHAPTER SIX: CONFIDENCE-BUILDING AND NUCLEAR RISK-REDUCTION MEASURES

• Lesson 6.1: CBMs and NRRMs
• Lesson 6.2: CBMs and NRRMs in South Asia
• Chapter 6: Quiz

CHAPTER SEVEN: SOUTH ASIA’S STRATEGIC FUTURE

• Lesson 7.1: South Asia’s Strategic Future
• Lesson 7.2: The Indian Ocean Region
• Lesson 7.3: China’s Role in South Asia’s Strategic Future
• Chapter 7: Quiz

FINAL EXAM

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to identify and describe different perspectives regarding India and Pakistan’s strategic and nuclear trajectories.

Description

Deterrence in Southern Asia is an online course produced by the Stimson Center South Asia Program’s Strategic Learning initiative. Deterrence in Southern Asia goes beyond the India-Pakistan dyad to study deterrence relationships in the context of a larger strategic chain that includes China and the United States. It covers deterrence theory, deterrence relationships among nuclear-armed states, and case studies from the Cold War and Southern Asia through video interviews with more than 60 leading scholars and practitioners from India, Pakistan, China, the United States, and beyond. Deterrence in Southern Asia’s chapter learning objectives are also available for download.

Upon completion of Deterrence in Southern Asia: Complete Edition, students will earn a certificate from the Stimson Center. Only students enrolled in the Complete Edition are eligible to earn a certificate.

We also offer a special Flex Edition of Deterrence in Southern Asia for instructors, professors, and students seeking flexible, customizable content for online learning. It is identical in content to Deterrence in Southern Asia: Complete Edition, but does not require sequential progress through course content, and does not offer a certificate of completion.

SYLLABUS

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO DETERRENCE IN SOUTHERN ASIA

• Lesson 1.1: Course Introduction
• Lesson 1.2: Course Resources
• Chapter 1 Recommended Readings

CHAPTER TWO: THEORIES OF COERCION

• Lesson 2.1: All About Coercion
• Lesson 2.2: All About Deterrence
• Lesson 2.3: All About Compellence
• Lesson 2.4: Analytical Challenges
• Chapter 2 Recommended Readings

CHAPTER THREE: THE IMPACT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

• Lesson 3.1: The Dawn of the Nuclear Age
• Lesson 3.2: The Theory of the Nuclear Revolution
• Lesson 3.3: Debates About the Theory of the Nuclear Revolution
• Lesson 3.4: Nuclear Deterrence and Compellence
• Chapter 3 Recommended Readings

CHAPTER FOUR: DETERRENCE STRATEGIES AND NUCLEAR DANGERS

• Lesson 4.1: Credible Threats
• Lesson 4.2: The Role of Nuclear Doctrine and Posture
• Lesson 4.3: Nuclear Deterrence and Crisis Stability/Instability
• Chapter 4 Recommended Readings

CHAPTER FIVE: COMPLICATING AND ENHANCING DETERRENCE

• Lesson 5.1: The Role of Norms and Taboos
• Lesson 5.2: Deterrence, Arms Control, and Disarmament
• Lesson 5.3: The Role of Public Opinion, the Media, and Nationalism
• Chapter 5 Recommended Readings

CHAPTER SIX: DETERRENCE IN THE COLD WAR

• Lesson 6.1: Key Features of Deterrence in the Cold War
• Lesson 6.2: Cold War Nuclear Powers
• Cold War Case Studies (Mandatory)
• Chapter 6 Recommended Readings

CHAPTER SEVEN: DETERRENCE IN SOUTHERN ASIA

• Lesson 7.1: Key Features of Deterrence in Southern Asia
• Lesson 7.2: Southern Asia Nuclear Powers
• Southern Asia Case Studies (Mandatory)
• Chapter 7 Recommended Readings

CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION

• Lesson 8.1: Course Takeaways

OPTIONAL CONTENT

• Cold War Case Studies (Optional)
• Southern Asia Case Studies (Optional)
• Optional Essay Resource

Learning Objectives

• Upon completion of the course students will understand deterrence theory, deterrence relationships among nuclear-armed states, and case studies from the Cold War and Southern Asia

Description

Strategic Learning is an online initiative produced by the Stimson Center’s South Asia Program to sharpen understanding of strategic concepts and coercive dynamics in Southern Asia and beyond. Strategic Learning pursues this mission by making diverse viewpoints accessible via open online courses, nurturing vibrant communities of “strategic learners” on social media, and providing opportunities for students to engage with experts in the field.

As an additional resource accompanying our free online course, Deterrence in Southern Asia, we offer free, downloadable versions of the 13 expert-authored case studies that are featured in the course. These case studies draw from academic literature on deterrence, coercion, and strategic competition to analyze deterrence dynamics in a range of historical conflicts and crises, from the height of the Cold War all the way to more recent India-Pakistan crises. Each crisis case study includes:

• Extensive original analysis by leading scholars, analysts, and practitioners from India, Pakistan, the United States, and beyond;
• Strategic Learning’s analysis of cases based on deterrence and coercion theory;
• Transcripts of the expert video interviews featured in the course; and
• Knowledge checks and answer keys.

Whether taken all together or studied individually, Deterrence in Southern Asia’s crisis case studies are excellent learning and teaching resources.

Table of Contents (in order of author last name):

• The Kargil War by Rabia Akhtar
• The Pathankot and Uri Crises by Arka Biswas
• The Pulwama/Balakot Crisis by Christopher Clary
• The Berlin Crises by Anya Loukianova Fink
• Deterrence in the South China Sea by James R. Holmes
• The Mumbai Crisis by Sahar Khan
• The First and Second Taiwan Straits Crisis by Yeh-Chung Lu
• The Cuban Missile Crisis by Julia Macdonald
• The Doklam Crisis by Oriana Skylar Mastro and Akriti Vasudeva
• The Sino-Soviet Border Crisis by Frank O’Donnell
• The Twin Peaks Crisis by Abhijnan Rej
• The Sino-Indian Border Crisis by Mahesh Shankar
• The Third Taiwan Strait Crisis by Ketian Zhang

The Strategic Learning initiative’s online course, Deterrence in Southern Asia, goes beyond the India-Pakistan dyad to study deterrence relationships in the context of a larger strategic chain that includes China and the United States. It covers deterrence theory, deterrence relationships among nuclear-armed states, and case studies from the Cold War and Southern Asia through video interviews with more than 60 leading scholars and practitioners from India, Pakistan, China, the United States, and beyond.

Learning Objectives

• Students will learn to analyze deterrence dynamics in a range of historical conflicts and crises, from the height of the Cold War all the way to more recent India-Pakistan crises.