Emerging from the Shadows: Essays on Disarmament by Indian Women

National security, war and strategy are mostly considered male preserves across the world even when, as professional scholars or policy practitioners, women have made significant contributions. Women voices and the subject of disarmament have been hidden in the shadows of mainstream security discourse for far too long. The book seeks to right-stream these by bringing together writings of women security experts, scholars and diplomats in India on issues of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

International efforts towards sustainable nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament are struggling to find the ‘right’ way. This book shifts the focus to the imperative of disarmament with women authors who share their perspectives on what the future for disarmament looks like and where India―a leading voice on disarmament―stands on these issues. The volume explores India’s nuclear disarmament journey; efforts towards and roadblocks in the implementation of nuclear disarmament verification; confidence building and nuclear risk reduction measures as pathways towards disarmament; nuclear energy and proliferation trends; linkage between nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament; and India’s commitment towards the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars, researchers, policymakers and members of the diplomatic community, in the fields of security and strategic studies, international relations, politics, disarmament diplomacy and nuclear policy.

Manpreet Sethi is Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi, India, and heads its programme on nuclear issues. She is also Senior Research Advisor at the Asia Pacific Leadership Network. Since receiving her doctorate (1997), she has worked on nuclear energy, strategy and disarmament. She is a member of Science and Security Board, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists and International Group of Eminent Persons on Nuclear Disarmament. She is recipient of K Subrahmanyam award (2014), and Commendations by Chief of Air Staff (2020) and Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command (2022)

Kanica Rakhra is Assistant Professor at the Kautilya School of Public Policy, Hyderabad, India, where she teaches international relations and global affairs. Prior to this, she was working in India’s G20 Secretariat during India’s G20 Presidency. She has also worked with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) at its Policy Planning and Research Division (2016–2017) and at the Disarmament and International Security Affairs (D&ISA) Division (2017–2021). She is member of Executive Council of Women in Nuclear―India.