Indo-US Nuclear Deal
The United States and India signed on nuclear deal in July 2006. Both sides are bargaining hard as they test each others will to implement the agreement quickly. They are mobilizing their energies both in bilateral talks and through media comments.
The Big Deal
Under the deal, the U.S. has offered a one-time exception for India in the existing global non-proliferation regime so that India can keep its nuclear weapons without signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Meanwhile, India is coming under increasing pressure to demonstrate its loyalty to a larger "strategic partnership".
This deal is one of the full implementation of the commitments in the July 18, 2005 Joint Statement on nuclear cooperation. This agreement also means that the hurdles faced by India in procuring nuclear technology and fuel have been removed for good. Moreover, all other current restrictions on India's access to America's high and dual technologies will also be withdrawn as a result.
This agreement is a win-win situation from the Indian point of view. India will be able to build more nuclear power plants. At present it has 15 functional plants with an additional seven under construction. India stuck to it guns during the course of tough negotiations during the last few months. It did not agree to open all its nuclear facilities to international inspection. Instead, it ingeniously divided its facilities into "civilian" and "military" ones and agreed to open only the former to international inspection.
According to currently available information, India will place 14 out of its 22 plants under the civilian list. Delhi thinks that the nuclear energy is the answer to its ever-growing needs for power. With this deal India will not have to depend totally on foreign oil and gas for its increasing energy needs.
From the American point of view, this deal - a culmination of the Bush-Singh understanding in Washington last July - was not easy and it will be quite hard for President Bush to sell it to the Congress. To start with, India is not a signatory to the NPT. India built its nuclear programme secretly in defiance of international pressures and carried out two nuclear tests (1974 and 1998).
Finally on 16 November 2006 the American Senate has passed the bill to implement civilian nuclear energy cooperation with India. The bill was passed by a majority of 85-12 after a debate of six hours.
Is Nuclear Energy the only option left?
Spending the same money on new, clean energy options will provide energy without increasing the risk that terrorist will get their hands on nuclear arsenals. "Renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, and biomass are far more practical energy options for China and India,” a report said.
"Both countries have vast land areas that contain a large dispersed and diverse portfolio of renewable energy sources that are attracting foreign and domestic investment as well as political interest". The high-cost nuclear power has "limited ability" to meet the energy needs of both India and the US.
Nuclear power is a dying industry, nuclear power provides only 3 per cent of India's electricity today and even if the 30 new nuclear plants the government hopes to build are actually completed over the next two decades-nuclear energy would still provide only 5 per cent of the country's electricity and 2 per cent of its total energy.
Further we can also say that the nuclear construction business has been in decline for more than two decades.
Worldwide, nuclear power is growing at an average rate of less than 1 per cent per year. By contrast, renewable energy-wind, solar and biofuels is on a growth surge, averaging annual expansion rates if 25-35 per cent. Total investment in the world's renewable energy sector reached USD 30 billion in 2004, according to Renewable 2005: Global Status Report.
North Korean Nuclear Test
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea claims to possess nuclear weapons, and it is widely believed to have a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons (deliverable by artillery). North Korea was a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but withdrew in 2003, citing the failure of the United States to fulfill its end of the Agreed Framework, a 1994 agreement between the states to limit North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
On October 9, 2006, the North Korean government issued an announcement that it had successfully conducted a nuclear test for the first time.
Important Nuclear Treaties
NPT or NNPT- The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT or NNPT) is not an international treaty, opened for signature on July 1, 1968 to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. It obligates the five acknowledged nuclear weapon states ( USA, UK, Russia, China and France) not to transfer nuclear weapons, other nuclear explosive devices, or their technology to any non nuclear weapon state. Non Nuclear weapon States Parties undertake not to acquire or produce nuclear weapon. The treaty was proposed by Ireland, and Finland was the first to sign. 188 sovereign states are parties to the treaty.
CTBT-
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was established in 19 November 1996. This treaty is a cornerstone of the international regime on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and an essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. Its total ban (bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes) of any nuclear weapon test explosion will constrain the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and end the development of advanced new types of these weapons.
PTBT
The Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests In The Atmosphere, In Outer Space And Under Water, often abbreviated as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), or Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (NTBT) (although the latter also refers to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) is a treaty prohibiting all test detonations of nuclear weapons except underground.
FMCT
It is widely recognised that the next step towards nuclear disarmament is the negotiation of a treaty to ban the further production of fissile materials for use in nuclear weapons - a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, or FMCT. Indeed until this step is achieved it is difficult to see how any further progress on nuclear disarmament can take place. Yet talks within the Conference on Disarmament (CD) - the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community - are slow going and confidence in the future of an FMCT, and the CD making serious progress, is low.
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