It is indeed refreshing to know of the views of former US Prez on Nuclear deal and other issues related to Indo US relations. However, it will be disappointing and will surely have an un-positive effect in Indo-US relations if the nuclear deal fails.
RE:Interesting views and options
by Ravikant on Oct 30, 2006 10:02 AM Permalink
The views of Mr Carter are important. India does need nuclear power to meet its growing electrical energy demand. To meet this requirement it is important to recognise that all those developed countries who depend on nuclear power are signatories to the NPT and come under international safeguards as far as handling nuclear material is concerned. Non proliferation has nothing to do with possessing nuclear weapons built on our own research activity for our own defence. The technology for producing nuclear weapons is vastly different from the technology for harnessing nuclear power.As a non proliferating nation we will not provide our weapons technology to any other nation whether friend or foe. It remains to be seen whether signing the NPT will affect our own weapons programme or not. If France or Russia could provide the nuclear programme for harnessing the electrical energy demand then we should do so without binding our selves to the US. As a buyer of nuclear fuel and its use in electrical power as well as our own indigenous weapons programme, we must be delink those conditions of the NPT discriminatory to third world countries just because we are poor.
Why is INDIA begging so much from US for this nuclear deal? Its enough now!!! Instead of spending those billions of dollars on buying the technology we should invest it and invent a better techchnology. I see that we have this ability but ARE LACKING DIRECTION.
French and Russian companies possess sophisticated technology in the field of nuclear energy. India must find new partners for generation of nuclear energy
We should have no problem with Carter's stand if he works energetically and more important effectively for total universal nuclear disarmament in a reasonable time-frame, say ten years. Even if a sincere non-proliferationist's best attempts do not make a dent in the nucleary armoury of US and other nuclear powers, but only result in sabotage of Indo-US Nuclear deal in the form agreed to by the US and India, he is playing into the hands of Nuclear hegemonists.
