U.S., India Reach Agreement on Nuke Deal

[DonShula84]

Under the accord, elusive until the last minute, the United States would share American nuclear know-how and fuel with India to help power its fast-growing economy, even though India won't sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. It would represent a major shift in policy for the United States, which imposed temporary sanctions on India in 1998 after it conducted nuclear tests.
"We concluded an historic agreement today on nuclear power," Bush said. "It's not an easy job for the prime minister to achieve this agreement. I understand. It's not easy for the American president to achieve this agreement." Bush, turning immediately toward selling the deal to skeptics in the U.S. Congress, called it "a necessary agreement."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060302/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

[Quelonio]

Uh-hu Pakistan will not be happy about this... not in the least. Next time something goes wrong on Cashmir, we might be heading for some big trouble.

Honestly sometimes I don't understand some moves, although I understand the right for india to have nuclear know-how, and I understand the need of the US to have india grow as an ally close to a zone that is dangerous. I would have thought they would have held on to have them sign the treaty. PAkistan is also an american ally, and if they in any way infringe the Cachmire zone again, India will not hesitate and nuke the hell out of them, so now we have lost an ally, and we will have even angrier people around...

[PressCoverage]

He visits Pakistan next, no? I'm sure he has some love for them too.

[His'nBeatYour'n]

Originally Posted by PressCoverage

He visits Pakistan next, no? I'm sure he has some love for them too.

Time to dust off those old duck and cover films. Send them to our allies.

[runtheball]

Please explain. I don't get it.

[runtheball]

Originally Posted by Quelonio

Uh-hu Pakistan will not be happy about this... not in the least. Next time something goes wrong on Cashmir, we might be heading for some big trouble.

Honestly sometimes I don't understand some moves, although I understand the right for india to have nuclear know-how, and I understand the need of the US to have india grow as an ally close to a zone that is dangerous. I would have thought they would have held on to have them sign the treaty. PAkistan is also an american ally, and if they in any way infringe the Cachmire zone again, India will not hesitate and nuke the hell out of them, so now we have lost an ally, and we will have even angrier people around...

Gee, where should I start to clarify the errors above.

1. I can't resist being a smart-*** - it's Kashmir
2. India and Pakistan have been arguing over Kashmir for years and years, and troops have clashed on the border areas for years and years, and India has not yet "nuked the hell out of them".
3. Now we've lost Pakistan as an ally ? C'mon


Was this a serious post, or do you really believe that everything Bush does is the stupidest thing ever done in the history of the world ?

Maybe he should take a cue from Clinton- give a terrorist state fuel oil and only ask a promise in return that they will stop their nuke program, with absolutely no verification as part of the agreement. How did that work out for us ?

[Megatron]

This plan will work if Bush can establish the same sort of agreement with Pakistan. To bad he couldn't get India in on the NPA, that would have been a real triumph. But it does send a message to Iran that the USA doesn't want to hold out on nuclear know-how they just doesn't want it in the hands of extremist governments ruled by religious nutjobs. It would have had more relevance if they had signed on to the NPA though.

[Section126]

Originally Posted by runtheball

Maybe he should take a cue from Clinton- give a terrorist state fuel oil and only ask a promise in return that they will stop their nuke program, with absolutely no verification as part of the agreement. How did that work out for us ?

OUCH! Of course...it was Clinton...so that was a brilliant move.

Hey nice recall there.

[Maynard the Hammer]

Originally Posted by Megatron

This plan will work if Bush can establish the same sort of agreement with Pakistan. To bad he couldn't get India in on the NPA, that would have been a real triumph. But it does send a message to Iran that the USA doesn't want to hold out on nuclear know-how they just doesn't want it in the hands of extremist governments ruled by religious nutjobs. It would have had more relevance if they had signed on to the NPA though.

yeah india has proven themselves to be stable. i dont think the US would elevate pakistan because musharraf is under constant threat. that country is a bullet away from becoming a rogue nuke state

[Jimmy James]

Originally Posted by runtheball

1. I can't resist being a smart-*** - it's Kashmir

You just saved me the trouble. I couldn't let that stand as a Led Zeppelin fan.

[Maynard the Hammer]

Originally Posted by Jimmy James

You just saved me the trouble. I couldn't let that stand as a Led Zeppelin fan.

very true

[Megatron]

Originally Posted by Maynard

yeah india has proven themselves to be stable. i dont think the US would elevate pakistan because musharraf is under constant threat. that country is a bullet away from becoming a rogue nuke state

Or a coup.

[Maynard the Hammer]

Originally Posted by Megatron

Or a coup.

pretty scary stuff

[DonShula84]

In return, India pledged to open up its 14 civilian nuclear reactors to international inspectors and keep power generation separate from its military program.
But India -- which first tested its nuclear weapons nearly eight years ago -- will keep eight sites for secret military purposes under the terms of the deal, reached after intense negotiation.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapc...sit/index.html

[DonShula84]

U.S. critics accused President George W. Bush on Thursday of selling out weapons non-proliferation goals in order to close a landmark nuclear deal with New Delhi, hardening battle lines as the U.S. Congress prepares to debate its fate.
Congress and the 44-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group must both approve the agreement, which would allow India, after three decades of pariah status, access to billions of dollars in U.S. and other foreign atomic technology and fuel to meet its soaring energy needs.
Although many U.S. lawmakers favor closer ties with the world's largest democracy, non-proliferation advocates said details that had so far emerged suggest Bush gave away too much in the nuclear agreement in an effort to ensure a successful summit with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.


"It's a sweetheart deal for India ... The administration told Congress the agreement would be about the growth of India's electricity and not the growth of Indian bomb making potential and that standard clearly has not been met," said Michael Krepon of the Henry L. Stimson Center.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060302/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4766608.stm