Agni-V, India's first ICBM test-fired successfully
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
AGNI missile range : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Agni_missile_range.png
I think this makes the chance of an Indian/Chinese non-localized war much less likely.
That said, modern China is a pragmatic country whose primary focus is to keep its own population happy. China has a lot of hurdles in the path to the realization of that goal, and needs the economy of the region to stay stable for that. If China attacks India (or vice versa), global supply chains and economies will get severly affected and in turn will have an avalanche effect on the economies of both the countries. Hence, practically speaking, neither countries would wage war on each other unless taken over by a whimsical, dicatatorial leader (and which dictator isn't whimsical?).
Our time, money and resources are better utilized spending on development activities than pointless wars.
Besides we(Indian civilization) have never attacked any country in several thousand years and never will. There is no bigger a peace loving nation in the world than India. But if some one attacks us, we need to defend ourselves.
Historically India is impenetrable through the northern and eastern sides because of the natural defense Himalayas provide. Nothing has changed in the modern times.
This is important in the context of strategic nuclear weapons, because the only situation that would justify using such weapons is when national survival is at stake - the risks are just too high otherwise. National survival isn't threatened by short-lived border skirmishes.
As for the military might, Pakistan's past actions speak for themselves. Indians sleep better knowing that Pakistan has a lot to lose should they try anything.
Don't forget that we are the only nation which hasn't invaded any other nation in a millennium.
If any thing we have nukes only as deterrents.
We have never started a war alone and never will, because we don't want to kill innocent civilians. But God forbid if we are attacked then we are human beings and we need to defend ourselves.
We can't get rid of the nuclear threat as long as the knowledge of nuclear physics exists and someone somewhere wants to conquer the world (or merely a continent in some cases).
Software patents are a legal construct. Get rid of that, and writing up software patents accomplishes nothing.
Kind of like in the movies where people aim guns at each other. If two people are aiming at each other there's a stalemate. With three it's sill a stalemate, if you have guns in both hands. When you have four aiming at each other it becomes more chaotic and less predictable, I think, specially if one of the four, or five etc. is more disliked than the rest. It's a different scenario and the analogy isn't perfect, but it may illustrate how I see the danger increasing.
As long as Pakistan and India continue their pissing contest they're probably both going to need nukes just to keep things cordial.
So, in that environment, building an ICBM (which is btw a very hard engineering challenge and took India 30 years) is an achievable goal for an individual actor (the defence organization DRDO) and because it was an Indian success, brings pride to a nation of 1.2 billion. Getting rid of corruption will make our lives significantly better (there are many other much more modest goals that will have a similar effect), but it won't bring close to as much pride. In a country where you'd die before driving a Tata Nano if you had any semblance of money (Tata Nano is seen as a cheap car - something not to be proud of) and an iPhone is a must have, such sources of pride as an ICBM count for a lot.
Yes, we are flawed, but as we say, "what to do, we are like this only"
For example the tata nano has created the whole mini car segment, that has significantly reduced the cost of low end cars around the world. now many people globally can afford to buy new car. Such effect is much harder to achieve than building an ICBM(which is a pretty old technology).
And indians don't take pride in it(if not at a level of buying it, but at least as a national innovation) ? that's a shame.
1. The objective to make a destructive missile is probably not a priority for a country with a billion bare-footed men. Apart from ego-massage you get nothing out of it.
2. The missile doesn't add any value to safety of the country, because - believe it or not - wars are always suicidal. It doesn't matter who is more powerful. Damage is equal on both the sides. Death is equally sad on both the sides of war. Loss is only public, while media and stupid politicians make meat out of it.
3. The most important reason why this missile is a complete waste of tax payers money is that India should focus on widespread poverty, education and corruption at this hour. Not some retard idea to be able to attack the world.
Otherwise, engineers like many out there working under stupid management, you've done a great job!
War isn't suicidal. Damage is NOT equal on both sides. There have been engagements where one of the two sides have had no casualties yet met the objectives of the conflict.
A missile helps india focus on just that - poverty. Instead of spending its resources on fighting wars that WILL come to be at the absence of nukes and ICBMs. Indo-Pak war of 1965 was based on the misguided pakistani notion that the Indian army was severely crippled following the war with china. This prevents incidents like that.
so India is helping make a safer place.