Most Indians had hailed the nuclear deal with US as one of India’s greatest achievements. Instead, it is increasingly looking like one of its costliest mistakes
The 123 deal allows US the expansive power to withdraw ‘reprocessing’ rights from India. Along with destroying our thorium based nuclear ambitions, this deal also killed the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline ($7.5 billion & 2,700 kilometer pipeline) that was aimed at sharing Iran’s abundant natural gas reserves with India and Pakistan. On the contrary, it promoted another pipeline for India – the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-Indian pipeline (TAPI). This pipeline, unlike the IPI, is controlled by US oil companies and passes through US-controlled Afghan territory. Thus, this allows US to keep an eye on the energy transfer and to further moderate deals and India’s energy usage to their benefit! The IPI pipeline deal, which had fantastic diplomatic and economic benefits, started way back in 1994; but then, in the enthusiasm of signing the 123 deal, India was made to back out from the same in 2009. In the same light, to be doubly sure, US further blackmailed Pakistan and asked the nation to halt the pipeline work (at a time when India was reconsidering the IPI deal & had called for a meeting with Iran’s and Pakistan’s respective heads in May 2010) in exchange for aid and donations in January 2010. US also helped Pakistan in the construction of a liquefied natural gas plant, which will allow Pakistan to transfer electricity from Tajikistan. In summary the deal has been a shrewd double-edged sword, which on one hand, inserted a pause on India’s nuclear ambitions and on the other, stole the chance for diplomatic ties between India, Pakistan & Iran and energy sufficiency. The deal was basically done to curb Iran’s IPI plans, which is evident from how US pressurized Singh’s government as the IPI deal was getting nearer.
Policy and national strategy analyst, Brahma Chellaney, wrote recently about the deal, “In sum, India has a deal under which it got no legally binding fuel-supply guarantee to avert a Tarapur-style fuel cut-off; no irrevocable reprocessing consent; and no right to withdraw from its obligations under any circumstance, although the US has reserved the right for itself to suspend or terminate the arrangements if it holds India not to be in compliance with the stipulated terms. Moreover, the continuation of the deal will hinge on India not conducting a nuclear test ever again. These are the four “no”s embedded in the deal. In fact, this is the first case in world history where one nuclear-weapons state has used a civilian cooperation deal to impose a weapons-related prohibition on another nuclear-weapons state, which has only a rudimentary nuclear military capability.” We couldn’t agree with him less.
Policy and national strategy analyst, Brahma Chellaney, wrote recently about the deal, “In sum, India has a deal under which it got no legally binding fuel-supply guarantee to avert a Tarapur-style fuel cut-off; no irrevocable reprocessing consent; and no right to withdraw from its obligations under any circumstance, although the US has reserved the right for itself to suspend or terminate the arrangements if it holds India not to be in compliance with the stipulated terms. Moreover, the continuation of the deal will hinge on India not conducting a nuclear test ever again. These are the four “no”s embedded in the deal. In fact, this is the first case in world history where one nuclear-weapons state has used a civilian cooperation deal to impose a weapons-related prohibition on another nuclear-weapons state, which has only a rudimentary nuclear military capability.” We couldn’t agree with him less.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
