Postcolonial (in)securities, the bjp and the politics of Hindutva: Broadening the security paradigm between the realist and anti-nuclear/peace groups in India

Abstract

Using the realist and neo-realist theoretical approaches to International Relations, this article will highlight the tensions between the realist and the anti-nuclear/peace movements in India, identify the different perspectives existing within the two groups, and the rationale behind them. Extending the realist and the neo-realist approaches, the article will also analyse how certain postcolonial (in)securities perceived by the current Bharatiya Janata Party ( bjp ) government of India, expressed through Hindutva, has further aggravated the tensions between the realist and the anti-nuclear/peace groups. The article suggests that these groups should broaden their interpretation of India's security paradigm and reconfigure the traditional concept of India's national interest along more sustainable lines. Through discursive analysis of the Indian media and journalistic reports, the article will highlight the contradictory viewpoints and nuances involved in the debates between the realist and anti-nuclear movements and will analyse, expose and link their diverse standpoints to substantiate the logic necessitating the redefinition of India's security paradigm. It is suggested that such a redefinition will enable India to view security beyond its traditionally conceived military domain to one also encompassing non-military domains, thereby contributing towards the stability of India's national and, subsequently, South Asian regional, security.