NUKE THE ......WAIT!!!! THERE IS HOPE YET!

NUKE THE ......WAIT!!!! THERE IS HOPE YET!


Ganga Prasad G. Rao
http://myprofile.cos.com/gangar



As described by one writer, the Indo-US nuclear deal has seen a path more tortuous than the meandering of deltaic rivers. Yet, as the Bush presidency comes to a close and the UPA government totters at the precipice of inflation and mis-governance, the Indo-US nuclear deal stands out as the one hope in the monsoon of despair. Not that it has been supported within or outside the government. For once, the Left has kept its word, at least on paper. Predictably, it has backed away from the deal when it matters the most. Thankfully, that was no surprise! Manmohan Singh's government now faces the prospect of pushing the deal down the unwilling throats of the BJP and the Left by garnering support from the third-tier parties and marginalized/regional political parties and dissenting members of various political parties. So much for a national consensus on a issue that arguably ranks as one of more important events since Independence.

Much of our argument and debate on this issue has centered around the discriminatory nature of the NSG rules, the ambiguity in the interpretation of the Hyde Act and the power it confers upon the President of US to abrogate the treaty unilaterally merely by not certifying compliance to the Congress. Our approach has been, if anything, aloof, while the US has made repeated overtures that we have misinterpreted as their overzealousness to pull us in to their ranks. Far from being constructive, we have used every tool in the bag of our politicians and bureaucrats to try and hoodwink the US in to granting ourselves a virtual 'equal' status – a status belied by our past record in nuclear compliance, intellectual property(?) and nuclear safety. I am not one who believes in the '6 month window of opportunity' rhetoric advanced by some. A deal should not be rushed through in the lame duck session of governments talking nuclear peace, especially when one government would rather not face the parliamentary vote.

Yet, the fact that we are not overtly friendly to the US need not stop us from being creative and pro-active. If we are interested in a nuclear deal with countries that pioneered and commercialized nuclear technology, we could recognize their contribution to nuclear science and peace. We could, indeed should, recognize and buy in to their nuclear technology patents if that is possible. We should sponsor conferences and join nuclear research coalitions without waiting for the formalities to conclude, perhaps without even expecting its successful conclusion. India could invite senior nuclear scientists and policy makers of IAEA and the NSG club to take part in 'Meet the Public' face-offs that pit our 'technocrats' against them at televised public meetings. (If the nuclear issue does not evoke public interest, I wonder what else will? Belles walking the ramp on the news channel?) Is our democracy limited to articles written by AERB and DAE officials that tow the official line (or, if they take the opposite line, with tacit official agreement)? Are we merely a 'cry baby' nation that seeks the attention and warmth of the developed world and suckles at its nuclear breast?

Let's do something different. Like go one step ahead of the US and nuclear club and propose a serious mechanism for nuclear disarmament - something they would rather not discuss. By that I don't mean another white paper with pious legalese of the bureaucrats raising the principles of 'Panchsheel' from the dustbin. Why not confront disarmament and commercial trade in nuclear fuel, both issues dear to us, in the nuclear deal? After all nuclear power and disarmament on one hand, and nuclear power and global warming are related if not close cousins, if you know what I mean. Let's propose a different deal – a deal that links disarmament, commercial trade in nuclear fuels and CO2 abatement goals together. Properly designed such a deal could offer nations, belonging to the nuclear club and those outside it the incentive and the flexibility to engage either in disarmament, or carbon abatement, or both, to gain the right to reprocess more fuel and/or engage in commercial nuclear trade as permitted by their resources, technology, and political leanings.

Innovative? Yes, Practical? Sure. Turns the earth greener and safer? Yes! What are we waiting for?