This is the article i wrote for the The Hindu Business Line, an abridged version of which was published on September 22, 2008.
The recent waiver to India in the NSG has created euphoria in certain sections of the society and a mood of contemplation in certain other sections. While some people have hailed Dr Manmohan singh for championing the deal and have even termed it "historic" comparable to the economic reforms of 1991, few other experts have expressed their reservations.
Whatever the case may be, the waiver definitely marks a watershed in the country's history. The waiver speaks volumes for the status of India in world affairs. It is another matter if the deal really materializes, but the very fact that India is waived from the obligations that other countries have to fulfill for getting into nuclear commerce speaks for itself the status of India vis-a-vis other nations. There are many reasons for this. We may today be recognized as an economic world power, but our commitment to non proliferation is impeccable. If the world trusts us for our non proliferation and our voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing, it is because of our history and the people who made them. It is not only economics that Indian today is recognized for but for its moral and ethical values.
India must really put this new found ground to good effect. There are many international issues that we can now turn to our advantage. For instance climate change, IMF voting rights, questions on Iran and Afghanistan. More important of all is the question of terror. It is high time that the government takes some harsh steps towards the terrorists. We must all hang our heads in shame to the fact that our country which commands majority opinion in world politics has to witness a bomb blast every two months. People in power must go beyond only condemning the blasts to taking some concrete steps in fighting terror. It is frustrating for every Indian to see a bomb blast every other month.
Coming to the core issue of nuclear deal, many political parties have blamed UPA for the deal. BJP in particular is accusing UPA for parking national sovereignty as hostage to the US. These are very irresponsible statements by such a big national party. The real benefits of the nuclear trade go beyond just nuclear fuel supply. It creates employment, brings electricity, brings expertise and technology for our engineers to complete the nuclear cycle fast. More than anything it helps fight climate change. Technology that accompanies trade will put India into a higher trajectory of growth.
Another controversial issue is that of nuclear weapon testing. Independent of the nuke deal, another test will have negative economic and political ramifications. Coming to the issue of testing vis-a-vis nuke deal, one question we must answer at this juncture is, Do we really need to test another weapon in future? We are a peace loving country heavily influenced by Gandhian philosophy. Philosophy apart, is there a real need to test in future? Most of the opinion is concentrated around the argument that what if China or Pakistan test tomorrow? One simple answer is that "so what"? Even today, all the three countries have weapons to destroy each other and even the whole world. Possession of nuclear weapon is a deterrent for all the countries in question to use them. In the event of a first attack from Pakistan or china, India has enough nuclear weapon to retaliate. Any new technology can only bring about a catastrophe faster. Given the fact that all the countries have enough arsenal to destroy each other, what is the need for future testing. Existing technology can end humanity in few minutes, is there a need to scale this?
