NUCLEAR AMBIGUITY 63 powers. But instead of merely rejecting that proposal, our government should respond with a stronger proposal. Such a development would be the first instance of a nation, which has the technical capacity to manufacture nuclear weapons, voluntarily and unambiguously adjuring its nuclear option. It would add to India's international stature and yield to it the position of a world leader of a new trend in world politics, the trend of disarmament. In conjuction with such a proposal or agreement, our government must actively intervene in the European arena, using all the media and means at its' disposal to reach the peoples of Europe. Such an intervention could make a difference to the political outcomes of several elections in coming years. In particular, it would then become eminently possible to build up massi political support and ultimately governmental support for a nuclear weapons free zone in Europe. Since the Soviet Union has already indicated its acceptance for such a proposal, the task is already half achieved. The year 1986 is the United Nations International Year of Peace. It is likely to be a crucial year for the cause of disarmament. The times and circumstances appear to be ripe for radical initiatives in this area. Summarising the preceding argument, it appears that if the choice is between a non-credible nuclear deterrent provided by a policy of nuclear ambiguity, and enhanced disarmament credibility provided by a policy of unambiguous disarmament, the latter is politically preferable. The choice is one of lagging and trailing in the footsteps of the nuclear powers playing an increasingly discredited and devalued game of nuclear diplomacy or breaking new ground as a leader of a new world trend. Exercising the Disarmament Option is a fighting strategy. Instead of taking a defensive position on your own territory, it involves taking the struggle into the territory of the adversary after strengthening our hands in our own pan of the world. This is not the place to discuss the detailed tactics which emerge from this strategy. What we are arguing for here is its political necessity and feasibility in the present world situation. VIVEK MONTEIRO Trade Union Activist, Bombay (This article is a modified version of a talk given at a seminar on 'Indians Nuclear Policy Options' organised by the Group for Nuclear Disarmament (GROUND) in Bombay on September 22, 1985.)