by Xinhua Writer Zhou Jun
NEW DELHI, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The strategic relationship between India and the United States, which was put in place through a nuclear deal, is likely to be further enhanced during the Barack Obama administration, analysts said.
India and the United States finalized the civil nuclear pact on Oct. 11 in Washington after over three years of extraordinary efforts by both governments.
The agreement, signed by Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, brought into reality the vision proposed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. President George W. Bush on July 18, 2005.
The deal will allow India access to nuclear reactors, fuel and technologies from the United States after a gap of 34 years when Washington terminated nuclear cooperation as New Delhi conducted a nuclear test in 1974. In return, India will allow UN inspections of some of its civilian nuclear facilities.
Calling it "a diplomatic triumph for both nations", Rice stressed that the agreement unlocks "a new and far broader world of potential for our strategic partnership in the 21st century, not just on nuclear cooperation, but on every area of national endeavor."
Rice called it an "unprecedented" agreement. "And it demonstrates the vast potential partnership between India and the United States, potential that, frankly, has gone unfulfilled for too many decades of mistrust and now potential that can be fully realized," said Rice.
Indian External Affairs Minister Mukherjee also stressed that the inking of the deal marked an "important day for India-U.S. relations."
The deal is not simply the restoration of the U.S.-Indian ties in regard to reopening civilian nuclear commerce but rather is the integration of India, which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), into the global nuclear commerce regime.
For years after India's nuclear test, India was isolated by the global nuclear commerce regime. Now with the deal, the huge boulder that was blocking India's nuclear path had been lifted by the United States, and the nuclear obstacle between their ties was also removed.
Both sides said it highlighted a dramatically transformed relationship and what Rice called "a recognition of India's emergence on the global stage."
The Bush administration sought the deal primarily as an effort to build a new relationship with India. There are sound strategic reasons for it.
The United States looked forward to promoting trade, defense and other ties with India because it eyes India's vast emerging market. Especially, India aims to increase its nuclear power 10-fold in 20 years, and will rely on international businesses to achieve the goal.
Moreover, the purpose of the United States' initiative was to strengthen India, help it to grow as a power in Asia and even on the world scene in accordance with its strategic program and the changing global environment, analysts said.
Nicholas Burns, former U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs has said: "What we've done is to develop with the Indian government a broad, global partnership of the likes that we've not seen with India since India's founding in 1947.
"This has consequences for American interests in South Asia, but also has larger consequences for what we are trying to do globally, in terms of promoting democracy, fighting terrorism - and all of those issues were discussed by the two nations' leaders."
New Delhi now looks to the United States as its largest trading partner and largest source of investment. Ties will grow further as the nuclear deal allows India to build more nuclear reactors to satisfy its surging demand for energy at a time of skyrocketing oil prices and global warming fears.
On average, India's energy demands exceed its supply by about 12 percent, making power shortages ubiquitous and threatening economic growth. Nuclear power is seen as a key part of the solution.
India's ruling Congress party President Sonia Gandhi said the pact will put the country in the league of elite nations which dominate the atomic power sector.
What is more important is the deal's impact on India's self-confidence and its image abroad. India is clearly recognized as a power that has arrived on the world stage.
"Whether it is energy, anti-terrorist steps, trade or high technology, India's quest to build a knowledge society leads the United States to work very closely with us," said India's External Affairs Minister.
Indian media mostly hailed the signing of the deal as an extraordinary achievement of India's foreign policy.
However, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (Indian People's Party), and the Left parties have both slammed it as curbing India's military options and bringing the country's foreign policy too much under U.S. influence.
India will hold general elections to the parliament by May 2009.As the BJP said repeatedly that it will re-negotiate the deal if it comes to power, the changing of Indian politics will may cast a shadow on the process of India-U.S. nuclear cooperation in the future.
