Pakistan’s Nuclear Odyssey: An Organizational and Bureaucratic Politics Perspective

Abstract

Pakistan emerged on the nuclear map after five decades of sustained effort. Technocrats and civil–military rulers, who collectively determined the choices, paths, and initiatives that had been taken at different times for the nuclear program, largely dominated this journey. Nuclear decision-making remained highly personalized with competing alliances of like-minded individuals in different institutional and personal positions of significance and authority. Thus, the heads of strategic organizations in the nuclear establishment vied with one another for influence, prestige, and resources and sometimes sought to undermine each other. This led to the genesis of professional rivalries that became institutionalized, with one side assuming the public face of the nuclear program and the other quietly building up much of the nuclear program in secrecy. Show more