The Foreign Service Journal, November 2008

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 9 India-U.S. Nuclear Pact a Done Deal On Oct. 3, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in New Delhi, where she and Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee celebrated completion of the U.S.-India Agree- ment for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy that was signed into law by President Bush after House and Senate approval. The new agreement lifts the inter- national sanctions on India, making the country eligible to access nuclear power technology and fuel from the international market for the first time in more than 35 years. New Delhi has never signed the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and maintains an independent nuclear weapons program. But unlike some signatories to the NPT, New Delhi’s nonproliferation record is spotless. Arguably one of the most signifi- cant accomplishments of the Bush administration, the pact in effect ends what former Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh called the “nuclear apartheid regime” and ac- knowledges India as the world’s sixth nuclear power. However, opponents of the agreement, such as the Arms Control Association ( www.armscon trol.org ) , argue that it will prove to be a setback, if not a body blow to non- proliferation efforts. “I look forward to a new strategic partnership with India that will pro- vide global leadership in the years ahead,” Rice said in an Oct. 2 state- ment. The agreement “reflects a recognition of India’s emergence on the global stage,” she said, adding that it “will also enhance our global nonproliferation efforts.” “This is part of a transforming world order, which we want to shape to our advantage,” Ashley Tellis, a sen- ior associate at the Carnegie Endow- ment for International Peace, who has been closely involved with the nuclear deal since its inception, explained in a Sept. 28 interview with the Wall Street Journal ( www.livemint.com/2008/ 09/28220522/De-facto-not-de- jure--India.html ). The deal was finally completed after years of delay and debate in both NewDelhi andWashington— includ- ing the near-collapse of the Manmo- han Singh government when oppo- nents withdrew their support in July. In July, the International Atomic Energy Agency approved India’s inspection plan for its civilian reactors. And in September, following intense lobbying and an attempt by China to derail it, the 45-nation Nuclear Sup- pliers Group waived the ban on India, paving the way for U.S. congressional approval of the deal and opening the way for major business opportunities. For background, see the Web site of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace ( www.carnegie endowment.org/ ) and BBC News ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_ asia/7647689.stm ). For a chronolo- gy of the twists and turns the deal took, see Reuters ( www.alertnet.org/the news/newsdesk/SP308692.htm ). The Arms Control Association has a collection of documents and reports at http://legacy.armscontrol.org/pro jects/india/ . Think-Tanks in the Middle East and North Africa Of the 214 think-tanks in the 21- nation region of the Middle East and North Africa, nearly half are located in Israel, Egypt and Turkey. But while in Israel and Turkey security-related think-tanks make up 28-30 percent of all such organizations, in Egypt only one out of a total of 23 focuses on security. The most common areas of research for the region’s think-tanks are domestic and international eco- nomics, trailed slightly by security studies. By contrast, health, education and women’s studies do not appear to C YBERNOTES W e have before us a great [economic] opportunity. We have ample reason to be optimistic. Today's uncertainties will pass. The challenges before us are our creation. Therefore we can solve them, together. By act- ing wisely and responsibly, we will set the stage for a new era of global prosperity, more widely and equitably shared. — United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, Speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Sept. 23 , www.un.org/apps/ news/infocus/sgspeeches/stat ments_full.asp?statID=322