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The US–India Nuclear Agreement

Accommodating the Anomaly?

Vandana Bhatia

The United States–India nuclear cooperation agreement to resume civilian nuclear technology trade with India—a non-signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and a defacto nuclear weapon state—is regarded as an impetuous shift in the US nuclear nonproliferation policy. The 2008 nuclear agreement aroused sharp reactions and unleashed a storm of controversies regarding the reversal of the US nonproliferation policy and its implications for the NPT regime. This book attempts to overcome the significant empirical and theoretical deficits in understanding the rationale for the change in the US nuclear nonproliferation policy toward India.

This nuclear deal has been largely related to the US foreign policy objectives, especially establishing India as a regional counter-balance to China. The author examines the US–India nuclear cooperation agreement in a bilateral context, with regard to the nuclear regime. In past discourse India has been mainly viewed as a challenger to the nuclear regime, but this reflects the paucity in understanding India’s approach to the issue of nuclear weapons. The author relates the nuclear estrangement to the disjuncture between the US and India’s respective approach to nuclear weapons, evident during the negotiations that led to the framing of the NPT.

The change in the US approach towards India, the nuclear outlier, has been exclusively linked to the Bush administration, which faced considerable criticism for sidelining the nonproliferation policy. This book instead traces the shifting of nuclear goalposts to the Clinton administration following the Pokhran II nuclear tests conducted by India. Contrary to the widespread perception that the decision to offer the nuclear technology to India was an impromptu decision by the Bush administration, the author contends that it was the result of a diligent process of bilateral dialogue and interaction. This book provides a detailed overview of the rationale and the developments that led to the agreement. Employing the regime theory, the author argues that the US–India nuclear agreement was neither an overturn of the US nuclear nonproliferation policy nor an unravelling of the NPT-centric regime. Rather, it was a strategic move to accommodate India, the anomaly within the regime.

Lexington Books

Pages: 210 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-4985-0625-0 • Hardback • June 2017 • $105.00 • (£81.00)

978-1-4985-0626-7 • eBook • June 2017 • $99.50 • (£77.00)

Subjects: Political Science / International Relations / General, Political Science / International Relations / Arms Control, Political Science / Security (National & International), Political Science / Public Policy / City Planning & Urban Development, Political Science / World / Asian

The US–India Nuclear Agreement

Accommodating the Anomaly?

Hardback

eBook

Summary

The United States–India nuclear cooperation agreement to resume civilian nuclear technology trade with India—a non-signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and a defacto nuclear weapon state—is regarded as an impetuous shift in the US nuclear nonproliferation policy. The 2008 nuclear agreement aroused sharp reactions and unleashed a storm of controversies regarding the reversal of the US nonproliferation policy and its implications for the NPT regime. This book attempts to overcome the significant empirical and theoretical deficits in understanding the rationale for the change in the US nuclear nonproliferation policy toward India.

This nuclear deal has been largely related to the US foreign policy objectives, especially establishing India as a regional counter-balance to China. The author examines the US–India nuclear cooperation agreement in a bilateral context, with regard to the nuclear regime. In past discourse India has been mainly viewed as a challenger to the nuclear regime, but this reflects the paucity in understanding India’s approach to the issue of nuclear weapons. The author relates the nuclear estrangement to the disjuncture between the US and India’s respective approach to nuclear weapons, evident during the negotiations that led to the framing of the NPT.

The change in the US approach towards India, the nuclear outlier, has been exclusively linked to the Bush administration, which faced considerable criticism for sidelining the nonproliferation policy. This book instead traces the shifting of nuclear goalposts to the Clinton administration following the Pokhran II nuclear tests conducted by India. Contrary to the widespread perception that the decision to offer the nuclear technology to India was an impromptu decision by the Bush administration, the author contends that it was the result of a diligent process of bilateral dialogue and interaction. This book provides a detailed overview of the rationale and the developments that led to the agreement. Employing the regime theory, the author argues that the US–India nuclear agreement was neither an overturn of the US nuclear nonproliferation policy nor an unravelling of the NPT-centric regime. Rather, it was a strategic move to accommodate India, the anomaly within the regime.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 210 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-4985-0625-0 • Hardback • June 2017 • $105.00 • (£81.00)

978-1-4985-0626-7 • eBook • June 2017 • $99.50 • (£77.00)

Subjects: Political Science / International Relations / General, Political Science / International Relations / Arms Control, Political Science / Security (National & International), Political Science / Public Policy / City Planning & Urban Development, Political Science / World / Asian

Author

Vandana Bhatia is lecturer at University of Houston.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement: Mapping the Debates

Chapter 2: Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and India: An Anomaly

Chapter 3: Pokhran II: Defiance of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime

Chapter 4: Post-Pokhran II (1998-2000): Shifting of Nuclear Goalposts?

Chapter 5: Reorientation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime

Chapter 6: The U.S.-India Nuclear Agreement: Accommodating the Anomaly

Reviews

Bhatia's book is a comprehensive, substantial, and timely study of the Indo-US nuclear agreement. It ably traces the evolution of the discussions surrounding the accord, highlights its vicissitudes, and examines the factors that led to its culmination. The book will be of considerable interest to those interested in the politics of nuclear proliferation as well as the emerging Indo-US strategic partnership.
— Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University

The US–India Nuclear Agreement

Accommodating the Anomaly?

Vandana Bhatia

The US–India Nuclear Agreement

Accommodating the Anomaly?

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