Nuke deal tests U.S. priorities

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Amid a chaotic week in the United States, foreign policy has taken a backseat to… ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Amid a chaotic week in the United States, foreign policy has taken a backseat to domestic financial concerns. One story that has slipped under the general radar concerns an agreement between the United States and India over the exchange of civilian nuclear technology and materials. Under the basic terms of the deal, India would make separate distinctions between its civilian and military nuclear reactors and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor all civilian reactors. In exchange, the United States would work toward improving India’s civilian nuclear capabilities. ‘ ‘ ‘ At the heart of the matter, the agreement is aimed at bringing India into the world’s small group of ‘nuclear-haves’ ‘mdash; those countries that are viewed as legitimate possessors of nuclear weapons. It’s not that India doesn’t already have a nuclear arsenal. Its first nuclear arms test was conducted in 1974 outside the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Under the NPT, those countries that tested after 1968 were subject to punishment and regulation, whereas any country that first tested a nuclear weapon before 1968 was free to continue and expand its nuclear programs in any way it saw fit. ‘ ‘ ‘ Despite 33 years of American sanctions that followed India’s test, India continued to develop its own military nuclear technology. Should the deal pass, it would essentially serve as de-facto recognition of India as a legitimate nuclear power. Supporters of the deal believe that India shouldn’t be excluded from trading nuclear technology simply because it tested its weapons too late to fall under the protection of the NPT. ‘ ‘ ‘ And the United States is one of those very recent supporters. Most attribute three reasons to the United States’ quick about-face regarding India: ‘ ‘ ‘ 1) The United States wants to push for a strong overall relationship with India. ‘ ‘ ‘ 2) It puts a check on China’s growing power in East Asia, preventing them from becoming a regional hegemony. ‘ ‘ ‘ 3) It gives U.S. energy companies access to a big, emerging energy market. ‘ ‘ ‘ For India, the deal isn’t so much about getting access to better nuclear energy technology, or even about partnering up with the United States. It’s simply about gaining international recognition and eliminating the second-rate nuclear status thrust upon it by the rest of the world. ‘ ‘ ‘ There are compelling reasons why India, above any other nation, deserves the benefits of this deal. For more than three decades after its original nuclear test, India put up with sanctions from the United States, never budging an inch. Despite pursuing its nuclear program from the outside, it still voluntarily complied with just about all of the NPT’s guidelines and standards, in some cases creating stricter security guidelines for itself than the NPT signatories. ‘ ‘ ‘ But not everyone is convinced of India’s good intentions. You don’t have to be familiar with the details of the India-Pakistan conflict to understand that these next-door neighbors have a deeply rooted, unfriendly rivalry with each other. Both are armed with nuclear weapons, and both fall outside the original signatories of the NPT. Considering Pakistan’s general cooperation with the United States in the Afghan conflict, many Pakistanis now see the United States giving its arch nemesis access to nuclear fuel and technology as a slap in the face. Critics fear it will spark a small-scale arms race in the region. ‘ ‘ ‘ If stopping the spread of nuclear arms is the central motivating factor here, the deal brings up one major complication: Playing favorites for one country, regardless of how responsible it is, undermines the authority of non-proliferation laws and treaties and makes it harder to tell potentially threatening states like North Korea and Iran that they must comply with international guidelines. On a pragmatic level, India is probably one of the safest states to trade nuclear materials with and has voluntarily complied with a lot of the nuclear regulations aimed at halting the spread of nuclear technology. Ideologically, it’s hard to deny there is some injustice going on here ‘mdash; an exception is being made for one country, while everyone else still has to wait on the outside, looking in. ‘ ‘ ‘ The deal has been met with strong resistance almost every step of the way. India’s government was bitterly split over the issue, citing concerns of ceding too much power and influence to the United States, while international groups have questioned what the deal would mean in respect to the NPT. States such as Pakistan have voiced aggressive criticism of the plan, citing American favoritism. Even American lawmakers have been divided on the issue of whether to move forward with the plan. On Sept. 28, the deal was passed in the House, but so far the Senate has blocked its forward progress. ‘ ‘ ‘ After all the proposals and deliberations, it seems everything is finally in place for the agreement to pass, save the U.S. Senate’s approval. Its task until then is to weigh the sensibilities in helping a responsible nation procure better nuclear technology at the risk of complicating overall non-proliferation efforts. ‘ ‘ ‘ E-mail Brandon at bkp3@pitt.edu.