How they see us: A special deal for India

In ratifying the landmark U.S.-India nuclear agreement, the U.S. has undermined global security by exempting India from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

The U.S. has officially welcomed India into the nuclear club, said India’s Assam Tribune in an editorial. Last week, the U.S. Senate ratified the landmark U.S.-India nuclear agreement, which allows India to receive nuclear fuel and supplies from the U.S. and other countries. The deal gives India “the unique distinction of being the only country allowed to do nuclear trade without having to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.” Since India long ago tested nuclear weapons, we couldn’t sign those treaties. Yet our developing economy urgently needs nuclear power plants to meet rapidly rising energy consumption. This deal “places India on the path taken by all developed countries ages ago, thus brightening her chances of ushering in real and fast-paced development.”

More important for the U.S., the deal binds India closely to the West, said Britain’s The Times. Since the Cold War ended, and with it “India’s treaty links with the Soviet Union,” India’s foreign relations have been in flux. The U.S. sees India as a useful “democratic counter­balance to China.” By offering cooperation on nuclear power, the U.S. was able to forge “a new partnership and alignment in Asia.”

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