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The nuclear deal

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh needs all the support he can get to maintain the Lakshman rekha he has drawn against the challenge to the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal that he and his advisers have drafted so ingeniously. Over the months, the draft has shuttled between New Delhi and Washington precisely to find phrases that will meet legitimate Indian objections and yet enable U.S. officials to proclaim that they are not sacrificing the Hyde Act. This is diplomacy of a high order. Both governments have been keen to achieve an agreement that will free India from the restrictions on import of nuclear fuel, import of nuclear technology, and construction of nuclear power plants imposed after Pokhran. The agreement is crucial to India’s economic and technological development; it is also of considerable value to the commercial and foreign policy ambitions of the United States. But it is not a zero-sum game; both can benefit.

Must we continue to regard Washington with Cold War eyes? Do we lack the confidence gained by our economic and technological ‘leap-forward’ in recent years to stand up to U.S. pressure even as India did under Jawaharlal Nehru, while securing vital economic aid from it? Dr. Singh is risking his job on the answer.

Ajit Bhattacharjea,
New Delhi

The deadlock over the deal should be resolved keeping the following questions in mind: Is it worth surrendering our sovereignty and independent foreign policy to the U.S. for a marginal increase in nuclear energy production? Have we exhausted all other sources of energy to desperately seek nuclear fuel? Do we have to sell out to the U.S.? How sure are we about enforcing the 123 agreement independently, given U.S.’ close ties with Pakistan for nearly 60 years? What assurance do we have that the U.S. will conduct itself in the best interests of India? I think the answer to the Prime Minister’s “I-must-have-the-nuclear-deal-or-I-go” stance is “go.”

A.V. Ramana Rao,
Chennai

Does not the 123 agreement call for consultations? Will not the U.S. have the upper hand in these so-called consultations loaded against India? If China, Russia, or even Pakistan, were to conduct a nuclear test, will there be any consultations, much less any penalties? The U.S. is ostensibly promoting non-proliferation to avoid nuclear wars and imposing it on India through the Hyde Act. As of now there is no antidote to the atom bomb. If India were to come up with one, how can it be developed without testing?

Jayananda H. Hiranandani,
Norwalk, California

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