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Opinion
Nuclear "Hostage" Crisis
by
Col. Rahul K. Bhonsle
 India is
blessed with an extremely savvy political class; some may even call it
na�ve. What else could explain the fulminations against the Indo US
Civil Nuclear Agreement in the Parliament on 26 July 2006, the very day
it was being voted in the US Congress? The political timing for the
detractors was perfect. It was fully one year and eight days after the
famous Manmohan � Bush accord was inked that the debate in both the
democracies, India and the US reached its zenith.
Hopefully the
accord will be successfully concluded by the end of the year. Those who
are aware of the working of the United States had indicated long back
that 18 July 2005 was just the first of the many sets of events that
would mark the inking of the final act. The US President�s powers in
such issues are extremely limited as nuclear non proliferation is
considered as a vital national security interest by the US legislators,
restricting the nuclear club being a principal strategy followed across
liberal as well as conservative lines. US legislators as Chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Richard Lugar are hardened non
proliferators. Lugar has been instrumental for the Nunn Lugar program
which has seen effective control and reduction of Russia�s nuclear
arsenal after break up of the Soviet Union. The successful clearance of
the Bill by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee headed by Lugar was
thus of considerable import.
That there would be spokes in the wheel was evident even in July 2005,
however the debate in India was restricted to a sellout of national
sovereignty and capping of indigenous capability. These inhibitions have
been some what overcome with the nuances of just 14 of the 22 facilities
being under IAEA regime having been driven home in the country. However
after the stipulations laid down by the US legislative committees on a
final agreement many new ones seem to be emerging. These restrictions on
the President of the United States are more or less on expected lines
and one cannot hold the treaty to ransom because of a few restrictive
clauses which address not only US but global non proliferation concerns.
The principal one, of restrictions coming into force in case of
continued fissile material production and testing by India, is itself a
non issue, now that the United States has tabled the Fissile Material
Cut off Treaty in Geneva. If it is any succor to the Left and the Right
of the Indian political spectrum, currently lobbying hard at home
against the Agreement, the non proliferation pleaders in the United
States are calling the treaty a sell out by America, a recent op ed in
the New York Times even acidly remarked, �Bush administration got
taken to the cleaners when it negotiated a nuclear cooperation deal with
India�.
The key issue inasmuch as India is concerned is that this is a win � win
agreement for the country. India�s nuclear energy programme is starving
of Uranium. Our scientists have been pursuing the Thorium route to
overcome this key strategic deficiency but the commercial success of
this is a long way off. Unless India accepts to place some of its
facilities under IAEA safeguards, members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group
such as Australia who have considerable Uranium reserves will not supply
this critical fuel to the country. The IAEA is in turn dependent on
removal of sanctions by the United States which is envisaged through the
Indo US Civil Nuclear Agreement. Thus it is the proverbial chicken and
egg story and just when the Manmohan Singh government has solved the
Sudoku, holding it hostage to some tertiary clauses may not be
justified.
For the United States too, the Agreement is not an altruistic, emotional
democracy to democracy initiative but a pathway to India�s vast energy
including nuclear energy market being eyed by its private players, the
likes of Areva, GE and others. The spin offs from opening the nuclear
energy sector in the country are also of immense interest to other
countries as France and Russia major players in the nuclear energy
market. This apart nuclear sanctions have been a major hurdle in the
strategic partnership that the US seeks to build with India, now that
this is out of the way more Indo US cooperation is in the offing.
In the dynamics of global polity today, balance of power has been
replaced by nuanced cooperative security. Thus India�s acquiescence to
the Agreement and some of the clauses which will come with it will
neither place it in the US sphere of influence nor compromise its
strategic autonomy. Ironically strategic independence today is through
strategic interdependence not haughty isolation. Thus it is time that
India�s savvy political class demonstrates greater sagacity in accepting
the limitations within which the Indian government is operating today
and strengthen its hands at least behind the scenes if not in the open
shenanigans in Parliament.
July 30, 2006
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Opinion
The Week of July 30, 2006
Upto the President: Parties will closely watch his
next move by Rajinder Puri
Israel Strikes Back by Dr. Subhash Kapila
US Foreign Policy: Code Name "Operation Frankenstein"
by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
Nuclear "Hostage" Crisis by Col. Rahul K.
Bhonsle
Can International Friendship be Developed by
Friendship? by TA Ramesh
India: A Failed State? by V. Sundaram
Courting Injustice: The Terrible Truth about our
Courts by Rajesh Talwar
Islamic Indian Nationalism by V. Sundaram
Ideological Insurgency by Dr. Prasenjit
Maiti
Jobless Development by Nitin Jugran Bahuguna
On the Footsteps of Kautilya! by VK Joshi
Agriculture Policy for Energy Security by Dr.
Anil K. Rajvanshi
Biodiversity and the Tribal Lore by Kusum
Choppra
Who Needs All-woman Spaces? by Barbara Lewis
Kaazi Nazrul Islam: The National Poet of
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Increase your Computer's Heartbeat: Add RAM to it
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Bakery and Confectionery as a Career by
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The Journey: From Creation to Creator by Dr.
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The Spinning of a Legend: Alexander the Great
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Self Realization: How do you Attain it? by
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Rainy Days and Mom Days by Monisha Sen
Me, My Wife and Synthesizer by Prakash Pathre
Radio Active Palamau by Ajitha G S
Girls as Sacrificial Lambs by Zofeen T Ebrahim
The Witty Side by Melvin Durai
Keeping Kids in School by Gagandeep Kaur
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