Round The
World
New
Delhi, 28 January 2015
Asia-Pacific Geopolitics
OBAMA NEEDS INDIA
MORE
By
Ashok B Sharma
It is abundantly clear that the United States needs India more than the latter needs
the former. The US has
forged strategic partnership with India
in the region of its particular geopolitical interest – the Asia-Pacific and
the Indian Ocean. One of the main intentions
of Washington
is the checkmate the Chinese ambition in the region.
The document – US-India Joint
Strategic Vision for Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region – inked during the
visit of President Barack Obama has spelt out the ambition for partnering
support in the region extending “from Africa to East Asia.”
Further, the document talks of infrastructure connectivity and economic development
linking South Asia, South-East Asia and Central Asia.
It calls for “safeguarding maritime security” and ensuring freedom of
navigation and over flight throughout the region, particularly in South China Sea.
Further, to strengthen its hold in
the region both India
and US have spelt out the ambition for partnering with third countries in the
region, apart from strengthening regional fora, where both the countries are
associated with. The US has
supported India’s
interest in joining the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Prime
Minister Narendrabhai Damodardass Modi extended his ambition further by saying
that through his Act East Policy he views the western shores of United States.
There is no doubt that President
Obama could not have found a more suitable strategic partner in the region to
fulfil US’ ambition of acting as a “pivot” and seeking to “rebalance” in
Asia-Pacific. This has prompted the US
to break the logjam in the implementation of the decade old India-US Civil
Nuclear deal, without seeking to dismantle India’s civil liability law.
The US
has, thereby, recognized India
as a responsible nuclear power even though the latter is not yet a party to the
Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The trust reposed by Obama on India and the visit of Modi to the US in September 2014 gave added momentum leading
to the Contact group meetings twice in London
and once in Geneva.
The US
has finally agreed to provide electricity from the reactors built by its
technology and through its cooperation in India,
without any changes in India’s
Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act. It has given up its proposal of
tracking its equipment and materials to be used in the nuke power plants and
agreed to the monitoring by IAEA as suggested by New Delhi.
India’s civil nuclear liability
law was a matter of concern for several international investors. However,
President Obama has cleared the apprehension by paving the path for US
investments in this sector. The US
agreed to the concept of India’s
Nuclear Insurance Pool which is compatible with the Convention on Supplementary
Compensation for Nuclear Damage, which India has already signed. It is
also convinced that India’s
N Damage Act is in tune with the Convention. It is now up to the business
parties to decide upon how to proceed taking into consideration the cost of
investment.
The administrative arrangements for
the 123 agreement signed way back in September 2008 have also been finalized in
consonance with bilateral legal provision and as well as practices on IAEA
safeguards.
The US
knows for certain that already the French and the Russians are partners in India’s nuclear
power sector. Japan and Canada are
likely to enter. Canada
which was insisting upon monitoring of its equipment and materials will now
have to leave the onus to IAEA. Australia
has already agreed to supply uranium for India’s nuclear power plants. In
such an emerging situation the US
companies would have lost the opportunity of doing such business in India, had
President Obama not cleared the logjam over the implementation of India-US
Civil Nuclear deal.
That the US, now relies upon India
as a responsible nuclear power, is clear from its support for India’s phased
entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Missile Technology Control Regime
(MTCR), Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement.
The US
knows for certain that India,
being under constant terrorist attacks, is very much concerned over non-State
actors accessing nuclear knowhow and materials. Although not party to the NPT, New Delhi has been an
ardent supporter of developing an effective nuclear non-proliferation regime.
Similarly, it is not a full-fledged member of the Proliferation Security
Initiative (PSI) but it has taken part in many of the exercises as an observer.
India
joined the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM).
It is one of the few countries to ratify the July 2005 Amendments which were
made to plug some of the loopholes in the original legislation. This is the
only legally binding treaty for the physical protection of civil nuclear energy
facilities. But this Amendment is yet to come into force after ratification by
requisite number of countries.
India also supports the fifth
revision of the recommendations in the Information Circulars of the IAEA. It is
also a party to the International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear
Terrorism and supports the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of
Radioactive Sources. India
has always argued for strengthening the central role of IAEA on nuclear safety
and is a party to Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.
Similarly, President Obama agreed to
four “pathfinder” defence projects for co-development and co-production namely
next generation Ravin Minis UAVs, roll-on-roll-off kits for C-130s, mobile
electric hybrid power source and Uniform Integrated Protection Ensemble
Increment-II. Two of these projects will have US companies as partners and in
the other two the US Administration would be partners. Attempts will also be
made to explore the possibilities of technology sharing and design of aircraft
carrier and co-development of jet engine technology.
India offers a lucrative market
for defence products. Russia
is a top supplier of defence platforms and equipment. About 70% of India’s defence platforms are from Russia. Obama
certainly would not like US companies to lose out in this game. The Russians
were the first to begin co-production and co-development, the Americans are
just following suit.
Obama has also expressed to
participate in India’s
ambitious 100 GW solar energy programme, development of smart cities, Digital
India programme, work out bilateral investment treaty and relaxing business
visa regime under a proposed totalisation agreement. With such engagements, the
US looks towards India as a
valuable partner in the Asia-Pacific region. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance
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