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:: Window to South Asia |
UN Security Council seat: China outsmarts India
The symphony of South-South cooperation at the recent conclave of foreign ministers of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) at Yekaterinburg was jarred by China's refusal to endorse India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC). In the joint communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, Chinese delegates scotched Russian proposals of supporting India's cause of entering the elite league at the UNSC.
Role of the Governor: pro-active versus figure head
Ever since the creation of the high office of the Governor as 'the fulcrum of Indian federal system' it has remained an ever controversial one. After the call by West Bengal's CPM for 'redefining the role of governors in the states', the old debate thus has been brought back to life again. This has come in the wake Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi's voluntary imposition of a two-hour power cut in his official residence - the Raj Bhavan.
Is the IAS fortress showing cracks?
Is the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) feeling the heat? Has the decision of Adapa Karthik - this year's civil services exam topper for appointment to the IAS - to continue serving in the IPS shaken the citadel of power?
Transforming police is crucial to counter-terrorism
The tragedy of the Jaipur bombings - as with virtually every major terrorist outrage in India - is infinitely compounded by the utter obtuseness, the manifest incomprehension and the pervasive disorder and confusion that attend official responses.
Kashmir 'packages': when will they ever learn?
Nothing epitomises the quiescence of the powers that be in New Delhi towards the sensibilities of people of Jammu and Kashmir better than the cynical 'packages' handed out during every prime ministerial visit.
Ahmadinejad's visit - India intensifies global energy game
Iranian President Mohammad Ahmadinejad's brief but significant visit to India and his cautious criticism against the "bullying" policies of the "rulers of the world" (read the US and its European allies) make one point clear - New Delhi has finally come out of its strategic confusion.
Pokhran-III prospects dead on Pokhran-II anniversary?
What difference does it make who signed the Pokhran files? Brajesh Mishra, the powerful former security advisor to then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, revealed a bit too late. There was a time when the Congress must have felt elated to claim making India nuclear. The first Pokhran test (in 1974) was their contribution and Indira Gandhi dared the Americans bravely. Should we be ashamed of it or try to delete that chapter from Indian history just because she happened to be another party's leader?
Half-baked rehabilitation packages would have few takers
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's rehabilitation package for the conflict-affected Kashmiri migrants announced on April 25th has brought back the limelight on the status of Kashmir Pandits and possibilities of their return to the Kashmir valley. The relief measures declared by Manmohan Singh underscored the continuous efforts by the government to ensure early return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits to their habitat.
Separatism gets competitive in Kashmir valley
It's election time in Jammu and Kashmir and once again the politicians are divided between issues of national integration and separatism to gather votes. It's not electricity or water supply, but security of the people and declarations of equidistance from India and Pakistan that hog the electioneering, speeding up a strange competition in raising secessionist voices.
Karzai's Afghanistan steps deeper into security quagmire
The attempt on President Hamid Karzai's life in the heart of the capital city of Kabul by suspected Taliban militants underscores the growing pessimism about security in the country. If the April 27 attack is anything to go by, Taliban militants are increasing their influence all across the country. Soon after the attack, the Taliban claimed responsibility saying its aim was to show that it could strike from the capital. The message is clear - the Taliban has reached the capital.
Are Nepal Maoists more mature than Indian communists?
The pragmatic good sense shown by the Nepal Maoists stands in sharp contrast to the ideological rigidity of the Indian communists. Whether it is a mainline outfit like the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and its allies in the Left Front or the insurrectionary "underground" organisations of the Indian Maoists, their guiding principle is the standard Marxist ideal of a one-party state.
China's 'peaceful' rise gets a beating
Ever since Dalai Lama's crossing over to India five decades ago, he has consistently received international backing in his struggle against China. However, the recent unrest in Tibet and its outward reverberations has generated an unprecedented and frenzied international support to the Tibetan cause, as exemplified by the protests across the globe against the Olympic torch relay. Protesters thronged the streets of London, Paris and San Francisco to express their solidarity with the Tibetan people, who have for long been suffering under the iron rule of the Chinese Communists.
Wooing the Maoists will only Bring Short Term Relief
The unprecedented electoral performance of the Maoists in Nepal has created a completely unforeseen situation in the Himalayan country. It might lead to the removal of the last vestiges of monarchy from Nepal and its transition to a republic where the king will not even be figurehead. This development, however, has created a difficult situation for countries like India and other western powers who considered these Maoists as outlaws. The likely Maoist ascendancy to power will test the resiliency of foreign policy of these countries. At the same time, it will also test the ability of Maoists to improve the situation in this under-developed country and their commitment to democracy.
Creeping Talibanisation to jeopardize peace in Pakistan
The Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP), a Taliban umbrella organization in Pakistan, has warned the Pakistani government to change course or face the consequences. It listed several demands including cessation of all actions against the organization by the Pakistani Army, withdrawal of support to the US-led coalition forces, removal of Musharraf from the Presidency, and implementation of the Shariah throughout Pakistan. It also asserted its right to use the Pakistani soil to attack the ISAF. Maulana Faqir, the deputy Naib Amir of the Tehrik, later claimed that Islam came first for them, rather than Pakistan. He also issued a direct warning that the reduction in the spate of suicide bombings across Pakistan was only because the Tehrik was observing a ceasefire.
Sarabjit's execution can cast shadow on India-Pakistan ties
The possibility of an Indian prisoner being put to death in Pakistan could hardly be the ideal way to restart peace talks. But that is exactly how things may stand, unless the Pakistan government rethinks its decision and alters the death sentence on Sarabjit Singh, who is to be hanged in Lahore May 1.
India, China go their own way in Africa
China was a looming shadow at India's first summit with 14 African countries held in New Delhi recently that not only revealed the depth and diversity of their relationship but also provided clues to what could give New Delhi a competitive edge in the resource-rich continent.
Will the Nepali Maoists go the Hamas way?
The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) pulled off an upset over the traditional ruling parties such as the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) in the elections to the Constituent Assembly (CA).
It's time NRI business leaders discovered Africa
Why haven't NRIs in the West invested in Africa? Perhaps due to the lack of information about high returns on investment. Perhaps due to the outdated perceptions and prejudices about Africa. Perhaps due to apathy about Africa as a growing market. Or perhaps due to violence that constantly bursts into headlines.
Political Assassination in Sri Lanka and its Aftermath
On April 6, another name was added to the list of political martyrs in Sri Lanka, Mr. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, the chief government whip and Central Highways and Road Development Minister. He was killed presumably by an LTTE suicide bomber while flagging off a marathon race to mark the celebrations of Hindu/Sinhala New Year in Weliweriya, Gampaha which was his constituency.
Let democratic debate prevail over ideological loyalties
Almost one month has gone since the protests have erupted in Lhasa and other adjoining Chinese provinces. Irrespective of the Chinese insistence that these uprisings are its internal affairs, reverberations are global. The Chinese embarrassment has only quantified, as Beijing is the host of 2008 Olympics. The Olympic torch traversing various parts of the globe is facing demonstrations not only from the Tibetan diaspora settled abroad but from the supporters of the Tibetan cause as well.
India needs to shake hands with Maoists in Nepal
India's inability to correctly predict the outcome of the Nepal elections indicates its mindset as well as its failure to keep pace with the changing ground reality in the neighbouring country. It is hardly a consolation that like New Delhi, many key international players were also wrong in their assessment of identifying the Maoists as the winner of the Nepalese polls.
The Future of the Coalition Government in Pakistan
It was remarkable that Pakistan could conduct, a largely, fair general elections amidst all the violence, and achieve the formation of a new coalition government. There has been general rejoice that democracy has at last dawned on Pakistan. While a single sparrow does not a summer make, is the coalition government even a sparrow heralding a new summer?
High oil prices could hit India's growth
India's hopes of reaching a 10 percent growth rate on a sustained basis may be dashed if oil prices continue to rule at over $100 per barrel. Even the Planning Commission in its approach to the Eleventh Five Year Plan has estimated that high oil prices could affect the growth rate by up to 0.5 percent.
Pak Based Jihadi Terror: Is it Amenable to Political Solution?
The restoration of democracy in Pakistan has failed to reduce the worries of the US and its allies. Though the country has also managed to throw up a prime minister in the form of Yousuf Raza Gilani who belongs to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the question has started to be asked about his longevity. His survival to a large extent will depend on his ability to manage the most important constituent of his coalition the Pakistan Muslim League (N). Besides, his longevity would also depend on his approach to war on terror. The ability of Pakistan army to create mischief should also not be discounted. The Pakistan army, though discredited for the moment would be looking for an opportunity to regain the lost ground in the country's politics.
Is the Left's third front hope a pipedream?
The Left's hope of floating a third front doesn't seem to be making much headway. One reason is that the ever changing permutations and combinations of the Indian political scene have ensured that one of the key components of the proposed group, the Samajwadi Party, is moving closer to the Congress. Since the latter is one of the political adversaries of the third "alternative", as the general secretary Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Prakash Karat, likes to describe the alliance, the Samajwadi Party's tactics have put a spanner in the Left's expectations.
Admiral Gorshkov: the ship that launched a thousand rumours
For months now, a Soviet-era warship has been making waves - and filling countless column inches - in both Russia and India.
Has India let down its spies?
The media has often accused the Indian government of neglecting spies once their cover is blown. The reality is that intelligence agencies take full responsibility of locating, cultivating and, if possible, retrieving highly prized agents as opposed to others who pass off as spies.
Terror remains beyond control of Pakistani state
The disclosure by Chinese authorities that the hijackers of a domestic airplane who were thwarted in March came from Pakistan confirms terrorism to be the prime export item of the volatile country. It is the latest shred of evidence in an unsavoury track record for which Pakistan has gained international notoriety as the cradle of extremist jehad.
India projects its 'soft power' through Bollywood
Almost a century after film pioneer Dadasaheb Phalke made "Raja Harishchandra" in 1913, the Indian cinema and entertainment industry has spread its wings worldwide - not just winning accolades from its widely dispersed diaspora and international audiences and earning huge profits abroad but also luring foreign investment.
Unrest in Tibet: A Peripheral Issue
The unrest in Tibet particularly the spontaneity and the scale of rioting have made the worst Chinese fears come true. The scale and violence of protests in Lhasa and other predominant Tibetan settlements have unnerved the central Chinese leadership. This is discernable by the stridency in the remarks of Premier Wen Jia Bao, who heaped fulsome abuse on the "Dalai Lama clique" for being responsible for what he called orchestrated events. He did so while holding an olive branch of talks with Dalai Lama provided he accepts unconditionally Chinese sovereignty over Tibet and calls for a halt to the ongoing protests.
Sri Lankan Lions in Dragon's Arms
China is making a sagacious move in India's backyard in order to enhance its influence in the Indian Ocean region. By exploring ways and means to bring Sri Lanka into its strategic ambit, Beijing is also making all out efforts to enhance its level of engagement with this strategically located island republic. China's recent entry into oil exploration in Sri Lanka, participation in development of port and bunker facilities at Hambantota, involvement in infrastructure development, strengthening military cooperation and boosting bilateral trade with Colombo should be cause of concern for New Delhi. Interestingly, in recent years, China has emerged as the biggest donor to Sri Lanka. The New York Times reported last week that Chinese assistance to the island republic has grown fivefold in the last year to nearly $1 billion, thus overtaking Sri Lanka's long-time and hitherto largest donor, Japan.
Tibet protests underscore problems with integration
The explosion of protests in Tibet in the run-up to the Olympics shows how tenuous the region's integration into China is despite Beijing's frequent assertions to the contrary. It is significant that protests have erupted worldwide notwithstanding the Dalai Lama's appeal in support of a peaceful conduct of the games.
Does the Left have a hidden agenda?
Prakash Karat and Co must be smirking with satisfaction over the damage that they have been inflicting on India's reputation and growth prospects in recent times. First, by holding the Manmohan Singh government hostage to the Left's anti-American paranoia over the nuclear deal, the Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary and his fellow comrades have demonstrated their capacity to stifle any enterprise at odds with their doctrine.
Pakistan and India elections in Jammu and Kashmir
Even as the fascinating play of government formation unfolds in Pakistan after the historic elections last month, political analysts on this side of the border have begun to spin their theories on what the future holds for India-Pakistan relations.
Madhesi parties gear up for Nepal polls
One week after the Seven Party Alliance government and the Madhesi leaders signed an agreement ending the agitation in Nepal's Terai region, an election mood is slowly settling over the area. The candidates of Madhesi parties filed their papers as the new nominations deadline for Nepal's elections to the Constituent Assembly drew to a close.
Should India also develop satellite-killing capability?
Former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's contention that India has the capability to intercept objects in space and destroy them within a radius of 200 km has ignited a strategic dilemma. The issue has gained significance after the US successfully shot down one of its own collapsing satellites at a height of 233 km. The fear that India will be left lagging in one more global arms race and pay a heavy ex-post price looms on the minds of the country's strategic elites.
Successful Satellite Interception Ushers in the Missile Defence Age
26 February 2008: It is a rare moment in the life of a military system to get an actual operational scenario even before attaining total technological maturity.
Madhesi agitation threatens to derail Nepal elections
The Madhesi agitation in the Terai region of Nepal has intensified with the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) displaying their intention of keeping out of the elections to the Constituent Assembly by not submitting their list of candidates for proportional representation, the deadline for which ended February 20.
Israel and India: Iran's needless hullabaloo
Following the launch of Israeli spy satellite TECSAR from Indian facilities, the publicly-aired criticism of India's ties with "the Zionist state" by Iranian government officials should have produced outcries of gratuitous interference. However, no one has asked why Iran chose to go to the media with its unhappiness instead of resorting to the standard diplomatic practice of issuing a demarche to the Indian ambassador in Tehran. Nobody has challenged Iran's presumed right to dish out veiled warnings to India over its foreign policy preferences.
Bringing peace to Nepal's Terai region won't be easy
The formation of an alliance of the three main Madhesi groups in the Terai region of Nepal - the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) - has provided a focal point for the government's efforts towards a dialogue on the Madhesi issue. The need for a government initiative became more than obvious when a series of bomb explosions marred the election meetings organised by the seven-party alliance in the Terai. Life in the region bordering India remains affected by localised strikes called by different groups as well as killings, abductions-for-ransom and inter-gang violence.
Will the Madhesi Problem spoil Nepal's Peace Process?
Despite the 23 point agreement between the SPA and the Maoists and their subsequent rejoining with the interim government in December 2007, uncertainty continues to prevail on the ongoing peace process in Nepal. In fact, the much expected Constituent Assembly (CA) elections remain doubtful and violence during election period due to resentment and rejection of the agreement by Madhesi armed groups. The Madhesi problem could be a spoiler to the forthcoming CA elections as well as the peace process. The problem has become serious because of the failure of the interim government to address the demands placed by the Madhesis.
The relevance of Mahatma Gandhi today
Sixty years after his death a portion of Gandhiji's ashes, stashed away by Madalsa and Shriman Narayan, the daughter and son-in-law of Jamnalal Bajaj, will be immersed at Chowpati Beach in Mumbai. Although I will be thousands of miles away in the United States the memories of 60 years ago will be refreshed and the day will be as poignant as Jan 30, 1948.
Radicalisation at home urges U.K to forge closer ties with India
The first visit of Gordon Brown to India as the new British Prime Minister has essentially underscored a serious urge from the British side to strengthen closer ties with India, especially in the arena of counter-terrorism. London's growing uneasiness over the increasing threat of terror at home and permeation of extremist trends amongst British youth have been continuously articulated in the British media as well as by senior cabinet ministers. A post-facto analysis of the British premier's visit may bring out the British concerns distinctly.
Intensive trade promises to broaden India-China interaction
By all accounts, the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Beijing is considered successful in the matter of expanding bilateral trade. With an impressive Rs.1.5 trillion ($38.6 billion) in bilateral trade, investments contemplated in each other's markets and physical connectivity explored between the two countries, bilateral engagement in these fields is poised to expand in the short-to-medium terms.
Sri Lanka: Peace through War?
Sri Lanka is in turmoil and there has been an immense escalation in armed encounters between Sri Lankan security forces and the LTTE. In an incredible turn of events since mid 2006, there is a sharp increase in hostility and uncertainty.
Fresh Impetus for India-Vietnam Strategic Ties:
China as the driving force
Amidst a new strategic realignment in Asia, New Delhi is looking forward to develop a strong bond of strategic and defence cooperation with Hanoi. India understands the importance of Vietnam in the emerging strategic architecture in Asia. New Delhi is now willing to embrace not just the major powers but also regional players like Vietnam, which can play an assertive role in the balance of power game in South East Asia.
The unspoken truth in Iran's nuclear report
The publication of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the Iranian nuclear weapons programme by the US intelligence community has taken the world by storm since that estimate contradicts the views of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and concludes that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons programme in the fall of 2003 and has not resumed it.
Pakistan's third transition: Will it succeed?
In the 60 years of its existence, Pakistan has been under military rule for 32 years in three spells under four generals - Gen. Ayub Khan, who made himself a Field Marshal, Gen. Yahya Khan, Gen. Zia-ul Haq and Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Each spell of military rule had its distinct flavour and characteristics.
BMD is fine, but where is the Akash?
In the winter of December, when DRDO showcases to the world a new range of 'indigenously' developed ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems and announces plans for an ICBM interceptor to be developed in 5-7 years, it could certainly sent shivers to people like Henry Obering, chief of the U.S. Missile Defence Agency. For, Obering's team have been struggling in the past two decades to achieve mid-course interception outside Earth's atmosphere to destroy prospective ICBMs fired by Russia or long-rangers from North Korea and Iran.
Intelligence report on Iranian nukes: Vindication of India's Stand?
The mandarins at South Block have every reason to be pleased with the latest US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the Iranian nuclear programme. In many ways, the NIE has vindicated the Indian stand on the Iranian nuclear issue. The Indian policy on the issue was centred on three pillars. The first was the support of Iran's right to pursue civilian nuclear technology. The second was the realisation that a nuclear-armed Iran would shift the regional threat calculus which would be detrimental to India's interests. The third was the Indian desire to de-hyphenate the Indo-US nuclear agreement from the Iranian issue. The NIE has vindicated the Indian policy on each of these parameters.
Malaysian Indians: Caught Between National Identities
The hard snub that has come from Malaysia on the issue of ethnic Indians holding demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur demanding greater rights in Malaysia's discriminatory ethnic policy adopted since 1970s shows the boiling point to which issue has reached among Malaysian Indians.
India's indigenous missile defence: are we really there?
Very few knew about an indigenous ballistic missile defence (BMD) programme being pursued by Indian scientists until DRDO announced in November 2006 that it had undertaken a successful 'exo-atmospheric' interception with the Prithvi Air Defence Experiment (PADE). Hence, it came as a surprise when the agency decided to announce in advance details of its December 2007 test for an 'endo-atmospheric' interception capability, which reveals a predetermined confidence of achieving a successful interception.
Managing Musharraf and his Loose Nukes
The last time Musharraf flexed muscles with a nuclear rhetoric was during the Kargil war, when he threatened an escalation of the conflict to a nuclear threshold if India crosses the LoC. India took his threat seriously and stayed within its territorial confines while flushing the intruders out.
Pakistan's political crisis and the US
Open season has been declared on Pakistan and President Musharraf by the media, think tanks and political leadership in the West including the US. The 'indispensable' ally has become a liability. Denunciation of his policies and actions against the media and judiciary are becoming shrill and vociferous. Doomsday scenarios are being painted of the future of Pakistan - a nuclear state.
Asia's Big Two still trade pinpricks
It is a year since the Chinese president Hu Jintao visited India, and attention to China in this country seems to have slipped into a just-below-the-radar zone. A blip occurred in May this year, when the Chinese denied an IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh a visa to visit China, putting out the old line that Arunachalis, being Chinese citizens, did not require visas. More serious was Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi's statement to the Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee in late May that the "mere" fact of populated areas was insufficient reason for China to give up its territorial claims on Arunachal Pradesh, directly contradicting the terms of the 2005 Indo-Sino agreement.
US dilemma in Pakistan
General Musharraf wishes to stay on in power, for he views himself as indispensable to the country's survival and well-being.
Rule of force vs rule of law
Faced with the choice of being a president bound by the constitution and being a chief of the army ruling by diktat, Musharraf chose khaki and force. His coup announcement is titled "Proclamation of Emergency declared by Chief of the Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf" and ends "I hereby order and proclaim that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall remain in abeyance".
Gandhi's image in Pakistan
SONIA Gandhi was in New York in October to take part in events organised to mark the International Day of Non-Violence.
Time To Go, General
General Pervez Musharraf has entered history books as the only military ruler to have declared martial law against his own regime after eight years of autocratic rule. He has forfeited his credibility and to a significant extent that of the Pakistani army. Surrender of hundreds of Pakistani soldiers to the Taliban and tribal militias have tarnished the reputation of a proud army and brought it down in the estimation of the Pakistani people.
Getting away with farce?
THIS is unsustainable and cannot last. You can't mock the heavens and think there will be nothing to pay for it.
These are the acts of desperate men who know that their moment in the sun is up, from whose fingers power is slipping but who want to stave off the inevitable.
Emergency plus = martial law minus
Its classic! We've been there so many times. Once again Pakistan's ruling elite has temporarily suspended its war against its people and is at war with itself over the sharing of booty - the spoils of office and the right to pelf. Once again those in power have done something drastic to take all the cake for themselves and leave none for their opponents.
Whither justice for Akhtar Mengal?
Akhtar Mengal, the son of a prominent Baloch politician, a former chief minister and the head of a moderate Baloch nationalist party, has been detained for the last eight months and is being denied justice through several delaying tactics. Illegal detention and unnecessary delays in his case have exposed the inequality and courts' inability to act without being influenced by the executive. Mengal has been arrested on charges of neither corruption, nor misuse of power. He is not an industrialist, bank defaulter and isn't involved in any land scam, like many pro-establishment politicians of the country.
Peace initiatives without political solution cannot succeed
The Sri Lankan government media has given banner headlines to a peace initiative by religious leaders who are expected to travel to the LTTE-controlled Wanni in the near future 'to explore the possibility of putting back the derailed peace process back on track.' The emphasis would be on resuming the peace talks and preventing clashes between the security forces and the LTTE. This latest resolve for peace follows a meeting between Catholic religious leaders who met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the prospect of the sacred Madhu shrine in Mannar being declared a zone of peace.
N-deal with US to open doors for India: Pranab Mukherjee
India looks at its civil nuclear deal with the US as a door opener that would lead to the lifting of technology restrictions and similar cooperation with several countries thereby helping it realise its economic potential, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
Wary of nuclear timelines, US pushes India to act fast
NEW DELHI: The US has said it is best to move ahead quickly on the Indo-US nuclear deal due to existing “political timelines” even as US ambassador to India David C Mulford on Wednesday met PM’s special envoy Shyam Saran.
123 is the India-US nuclear deal: Boucher
Washington, Sep 19 (IANS) The 123 agreement for civil nuclear cooperation "is the deal" between India and the United States, a senior US official has clarified, suggesting it overtakes the Hyde Act whose legal implications have led to a political crisis in India.
As difficult as 123
No recent situation has led to a deeper chasm among Indian Americans than the recently concluded bilateral agreement on the US-India nuclear deal initialed by the two countries on July 20, 2007. The situation is exacerbated by lingering spite in the Indian Parliament where unlikely allies are joining hands in supporting or denouncing the deal.
N-powering India
The adjournment of Parliament, precipitated by the Opposition’s unnecessary stone-walling, has prevented an informed debate in the House on the India-United States nuclear deal. This is a pity. for it has denied people an opportunity to understand what is at stake for the nation.
N-deal: Need for less fission and more fusion
The Indo-US 123 agreement is such an amalgam of law, politics, technical jargon, economic nuance and statistical analysis that it requires an open and inquiring, albeit critical, mind to understand and appreciate it. Such minds have to jettison preconceived notions and premeditated biases, rely on light rather than heat, on fusion instead of fission and on the power of reason and logic rather than rhetoric to arrive at objective conclusions.
The 123 Agreement: An analysis
Safeguards will in all likelihood be numerous and intrusive, in conformity to those offered to non-nuclear weapon states, and in perpetuity without any similar commitment on the part of the US in ensuring uninterrupted fuel supplies over the lifetime of the purchased reactors. A few palliative statements about joint research and development are included but continue to be restricted to the narrow scope of the Hyde Act and other existing US legislation and therefore do not substantially alter the situation concerning collaborative ventures possible even today.
Deal will push India into U.S. strategic orbit, say experts
NEW DELHI: Intellectuals and energy analysts from different countries have criticised the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal on the ground that it is bad for peace, will draw India into Washington’s strategic orbit and promote nuclear power, which is hazardous, accident-prone and costly.
The U.S., India and the Elusive 123 Deal
The United States and India are turning a new chapter in world history as they seek to close a deal on civil nuclear cooperation and nonproliferation. Referred to as the "123" agreement, negotiations have been in the works since 2005.
N-panel in limbo
The Manmohan Singh government appears to be having teething problems in firming up the proposed UPA-Left committee meant to look into the Left’s concerns and objections over the Indo-US nuclear deal, even as the CPI-M today unleashed a propaganda war blasting the government for pushing the deal as part of “pushing through the US agenda” on all fronts.
After 123 bump, China trying to mend fences
NEW DELHI: China has started to reach out to India countering mounting popular opinion against a perceived Beijing-inspired Communist opposition to the nuclear deal.
France backs Indo-US nuke deal
NEW DELHI: There’s some room for comfort for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is facing a barrage of criticism on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, as France came out openly in support of the pact.
US to react if India conducts nuclear test
WASHINGTON: The United States today said that it has the right to act in the event of India conducting a nuclear test under the agreement concluded to operationalise the civil nuclear deal between the two countries.
A new chapter for India, hopefully
The chances of an agreement between India and the US for peaceful use of nuclear energy have become brighter after the publication of the draft agreement. Many sceptics have admitted that both the governments, the Indian and the US, have taken great pains to address Indian concerns.
Nuclear deal an exception for a unique India: US
Washington, July 28 (IANS) The United States is not going to offer any other country a civil nuclear deal like the one with New Delhi as it looks at India as an "exception" with a "unique" history.
Some language of 123 accord left vague as face saver: US daily
Washington, July 28 (IANS) The Bush administration has assured Congress that its nuclear deal with India does not circumvent US law, but officials conceded that some language is deliberately vague to help both sides save face, says a US daily.
How they untangled the India-US nuclear deal
Washington, July 28 (IANS) India's proposal for a new fully safeguarded facility for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel helped resolve what for the US was the "principal major issue" holding up agreement on implementing their history-making civil nuclear deal.
123 'respectful' to leaders; 'consistent' with law: US
Washington, July 28 (IANS) The US says the India-US agreement to implement their civil nuclear deal is "respectful" to the July 2005 and March 2006 joint statements of their leaders as also "consistent" with its own law.
Indian offer for reprocessing facility proved 123 turning point: US
Washington, July 27 (IANS) India's proposal to build a new state-of-the-art fully safeguarded facility for reprocessing US supplied nuclear fuel was a key factor in reaching the 123 agreement to implement the India-US nuclear deal.
Manmohan Singh held his ground on nuclear deal
Considering that the Manmohan Singh government has generally been seen to be bullied by the Left into retreating on various issues such as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, economic reforms and so on, it is worth noting that the prime minister has been able to consistently hold his ground on the India-US nuclear deal.
US won't offer India-type nuclear deal to Pakistan or anyone else
Washington, July 27 (IANS) The United States said Friday it would not offer Pakistan or any other country a deal similar to its civil nuclear agreement with India.
123 pact a very good deal, stands the test: India
New Delhi, July 27 (IANS) India Friday said the "historic" 123 agreement it concluded with the US last week was a "very good deal" that would enable full civilian nuclear cooperation between the two countries without impacting its strategic interests or its indigenous three-stage energy programme.
123 a step towards deepening strategic partnership with India: Bush
Washington, July 27 (IANS) President George Bush Friday described the just concluded 123 agreement to implement the civil nuclear deal with India as another step towards deepening US strategic partnership with a "vital world leader".
India happy with 123 pact, 'all concerns met'
New Delhi, July 27 (IANS) India Friday said it was happy at concluding the "historic" 123 agreement with the US and stressed that the pact addressed all its concerns regarding nuclear testing, reprocessing and uninterrupted fuel supplies without impacting on its strategic interests or its three-stage energy programme.
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