The nuclear hexagon reshaping Asian stability — SkimNews
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- US nuclear policy remains focused on the US-Russia-China triangle, overlooking how this framework is merging with the China-India-Pakistan dynamic into a single, interconnected nuclear hexagon.
- China acts as the connective node in the nuclear hexagon, where its strategic moves to counter the US or Russia trigger cascading responses from India, Pakistan, and US allies in Asia.
- India is shifting from minimum deterrence to canisterized, ready-to-launch nuclear postures in response to perceived Chinese counterforce capabilities, compressing regional decision timelines.
- Pakistan is expanding its nuclear arsenal and relying more on tactical weapons with lower launch thresholds, driven by its assessment of Indian and Chinese strategic postures.
- Japan and South Korea are inextricably tied to the hexagon’s dynamics, as shifts in extended deterrence and regional stability increase pressure for hedging or nuclear latency.
- US strategy fails to address transparency vacuums, particularly China’s refusal to disclose arsenal size, which locks India and Pakistan into unchecked modernization cycles.
Why it matters: The US risks strategic miscalculation by treating Asia’s nuclear dynamics as separate regional issues, when in reality a single interconnected system is accelerating arms racing, compressing crisis timelines, and eroding nonproliferation norms—making accidental escalation more likely and deterrence harder to sustain.
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