Nuclear deal and Dubya

I should have written this some time ago, but the topic was a hot potato and needed some cooling -off period. Make no mistake about this-this deal, along with Pokhran -2 is one of the most significant milestones of Indian foreign policy in recent times. Both of them have the potential to get us an entry into the N-club. Maybe that sounds like too mundane for most of Indians as the prevailing view is that we ought to automatically gain an entrance and we have been handed out a raw deal. But examined in proper context and we will begin to appreciate the amount of political will which it took for both the leaders to finalize the deal.

In the 1960s the Eisenhower administration along with the other nuclear powers negotiated the NPT treaty .This was viewed by India as nuclear apartheid and India did not sign it. Hence When India carried out the tests it was isolated internationally. But with the passage of time, the world began to recognize India’s impeccable non-proliferation record compared to China and Pakistan. Also with economic growth the energy needs of India increased and being an exclusively oil importing country, there was a fear that increased demands would drive up oil prices which would have been disastrous for the global economy. So George W Bush, in a significant change of policy decided to offer a civil nuclear deal to India to ease pressure on oil prices. It was signed on July last year when Manmohan Singh went on his US trip.

There was a considerable outcry at home and abroad when the deal was signed. The opposition at home was lead by the Left who were supporting the govt from outside and the nuclear scientists from the DAE.The Left’s protested because they had a long history of America bashing and felt that talking to them would spell the end of NAM and India’s ‘independent’ foreign policy which consisted of kowtowing to the Soviets. There were some unscrupulous politicians who felt that they could pander to their Muslim votebank by showing black flags to Bush at Delhi while they eagerly felll head over heels for an invitation to the state banquet in honor of the visiting dignitary.The scientists were more concerned about technical issues and they felt that this treaty would give Uncle Sam an excuse to interfere in India’s nuclear R&D activities and also would cripple India’s strategic nuclear deterrence.The opposition In the Us was spearheaded by India baiters in the Congress and NPT traditionalists who felt that transferring N fuel and technology to a non NPT signatory would encourage proliferation.

The deal was scheduled to be finalized on Bush’s India visit at the beginning of March.But the talks threatened to break down several times and at times it almost seemed that the deal would fall through.In fact as the Air Force One was winging to India,negotiations were continuing online.Finally after hard face to face negotiations,India agreed to keep under safeguards 14 of its 22 reactors present and being constructed .The fast breeder reactors ,which were the sticking points were left out ,as desired by the scientific community.Now the only steps that remain is to convince the US Congress and the Nuclear

Suppliers Group to agree to the treaty.Even though this is Bush’s job Indians should do all they can to help.One right step has been the dismantling of the CIRUS reactor which was for long a sticking point because it supplied weapon grade plutonium even though originally imported for electricity generation.This has demonstrated India’s commitment to separate civilian and military facilities.

The statement by the chief of IAEA welcoming the nuclear treaty has also increased chances of its acceptance among the various stakeholders. This treaty will enable India to gain recognition for its decades long nuclear programme and also help in getting newer technologies since it was working in isolation.It is a win win situation for all the signatories. Watch this space for updates