The U.S.-India Entente From Estrangement to Engagement

Abstract

During the visit of the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, to the United States in July 2005, the George W. Bush administration declared its ambition to achieve full civil nuclear energy cooperation with India as part of its broader goals of promoting nuclear power and achieving nuclear security. In pursuit of this objective, the Bush administration agreed to “seek agreement from Congress to adjust U.S. laws and policies” and to “work with friends and allies to adjust international regimes to enable full civil nuclear energy cooperation and trade with India, including but not limited to expeditious consideration of fuel supplies for safeguarded nuclear reactors at Tarapur.” India, for its part, promised “to assume the same responsibilities and practices and acquire the same benefits and advantages of other leading countries with advanced nuclear technology.”1 The Indo-U.S. nuclear pact has virtually rewritten the rules of the global nuclear regime by underlining Indias credentials as a responsible nuclear state that should be integrated into the global nuclear order.