Indo-US Nuclear Deal
India-U.S Nuclear Deal
The nuclear deal was first introduced in the joint statement released by then President Bush and then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 18, 2005. The deal lifts a three-decade U.S. moratorium on nuclear trade with India. The moratorium was imposed after India tested its first nuclear bomb in 1974, even after refusing to sign the Non Proliferation treaty as it thought the treaty was biased and created a club of nuclear ‘haves’ and ‘have nots.’ However, since 2000, the U.S has sought to increase a strategic partnership with India, in order to work together to combat terrorism, and counterbalance China’s rise in the region. The deal provides U.S. assistance to India's civilian nuclear energy program, and expands U.S.-India cooperation in energy and satellite technology. The deal took more than three years to come to fruition as it had to go through several complex stages, including amendment of U.S. domestic law, a civil-military nuclear Separation Plan in India, an India-IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards agreement and the grant of an exemption for India by the Nuclear Suppliers Group- an export-control cartel that had been formed mainly in response to India's first nuclear test in 1974. The deal was given final approval in October 2008.
Proponents of the deal pointed to the fact that it would bring India closer to the U.S, it would encourage India to accept international safeguards on facilities it has not allowed to be inspected before, it would recognize India's history of imposing voluntary safeguards on its nuclear program and recognize that it has a good record of non proliferation, even though it has not signed the NPT. India had also voluntarily chosen to abide by the strict export controls on nuclear technology set by the NSG, a group of forty-five nuclear-supplier states that coordinates controls of nuclear exports to non-nuclear-weapon states.
Some of the objections that were raised by experts, were that the safeguards applied only to facilities and material manufactured by India beginning when the agreement was reached. It did not cover the fissile material produced by India over the last several decades of nuclear activity. Also the deal did not require India to limit the number of nuclear weapons it plans to produce, nor does it require India to limit its fissile material production. The deal also faced opposition by political parties and activists in India, who claimed that it would limit India’s sovereignty and hurt its security. The main opposition came from the Left Front that mainly consists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its allies. On July 9, 2008, the Left Front withdrew support to the government thereby reducing its strength to 276 in the Lok Sabha. However, the government survived a confidence vote in the parliament on July 22, 2008 by 275-256 votes. The main opposition party, the BJP was also opposed to the deal and wanted it renegotiated.
There has been speculation over the implications of the deal for the U.S and India’s relations with Pakistan. Pakistan, like India is also not a signatory of the NPT. However, it has not received such a deal with the U.S. Pakistan has warned that the India- U.S deal might start a nuclear weapons’ arms race. Experts worry that the deal could prompt Pakistan to go elsewhere, for example to China for similar terms.
