Amid the stock market crashes, bailout plans and elections tamashaa, a significant piece of news that was pushed to the background is the passage of the India-US nuclear deal a.k.a the 123 Agreement. Madhur Singh at TIME magazine explains why this deal is significant to India, and in a way also to the U.S.A. [TIME]
1. The deal signals the true end of any cold war sentiments between Washington and New Delhi. Anyone familiar with the history of Indu-US politics is well aware of the cold war era history with India on the side of the USSR and the US siding with Pakistani to balance out South Asia. Even during the Clinton -era when relationships between the thaw started to thaw, the Clinton administration slapped India with sanctions for its 1998 nuclear tests. To this day, this sentiment lingers among various quarters in either country. The passage of the 123 Agreement has in a way signaled the end of this era.
In addition to reversing 34 years of U.S. policy opposing nuclear cooperation with India — a nuclear weapons state that continues to refuse to sign the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty — the deal wins acceptance for India’s de facto nuclear weapons state status at the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the international cartel that controls trade in nuclear weapons, fuel and technology.
2. India joins the elite cartel of powers that can deal in nuclear technology which significantly increases its international clout.
That recognition will finally allow India to take part in international nuclear commerce and its scientists to participate in international nuclear research activities. For India, the approval is a ringing endorsement of its increasing weight in international affairs, and an acknowledgement of its growing intimacy with the world’s only remaining superpower.
3. At level with China and other recognized nuclear powers.
India “could boast of our bomb, our BPO prowess, economic growth, invites to the G-8 meetings and candidacy for the UN Security Council seat But we were firmly at a different level from, say, China. They could import powerful computers, uranium, sensitive machine tools, software and components for satellites that were denied to us.” Today, that changed, as did the international community’s policy of equating India and Pakistan as nuclear weapons states.
4. And the last but most important, a clear differentiation from Pakistan.
As Indian and U.S. officials have repeatedly pointed out, the deal has “de-hyphenated” India from Pakistan. “For decades India has chafed at the world’s tendency to lock India into a bipolar South Asian framework with Pakistan,” says Joshi. “Now, decisively, the rules have been changed for India, and pointedly not for Pakistan.” The deal also has a bearing on the regional balance of power, making clear the U.S.’s proclivity to India and sending a signal to Beijing that it has other options in the Asian region.
Read the entire TIME magazine article on the passage of the 123 Agreement.
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