India Nuclear Deal May Face Hard Sell

The Bush administration’s surprise deal in 2005 with India, which would recognize the nation’s status as a nuclear power, was motivated by both a desire to reward a democratic future superpower and to counter the rise of China. But the deal, largely constructed through US State Department backchannels and secret negotiations, may suffer because Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her staff did not build a base of support for the agreement in Congress. Many nuclear experts voice concerns that the deal undermines the non-proliferation framework and sets a dangerous precedent. But administration officials defend both the content of the agreement and the secrecy with which it came into being. Like Richard Nixon’s landmark visit to China, perhaps this bold shift in policy could only proceed outside the bureaucracy. If finalized, the deal could rearrange the international order. In negotiating the deal, India made few concessions. So whether the nation becomes a major strategic partner with the US, as the administration hopes, remains to be seen. – YaleGlobal