New Delhi
6 August 2007
The history of the United States bilateral relations with other countries
is littered with instances of its going back on its obligations in its national interest and
there is no guarantee that there will not be another "Tarapur", according to a security
analyst.
The director of the Chennai-based Institute of Topical Studies and a former additional
secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Mr B Raman, said: "Even if our agreement with the
US is satisfactory in every respect from our point of view, it is no guarantee that there
will not be another Tarapur trauma. After our first nuclear test of 1974, the US did not
hesitate to break its solemn contractual obligations and starve the US-aided power
station of fuel to punish us for the test."
He cautioned that the US will observe the provisions of the 123 Agreement so long as it
suits it and it looks upon India as of importance to it in its pursuit of its global designs
and ambitions. If a day comes when the US decides that India is no longer of such
importance to its national interests or when it fears that India's indigenous nuclear
projects are detrimental to its nuclear agenda, it will not hesitate to throw the 123
Agreement into the waste paper basket and try to enforce its will on India.
He called for a careful identification of the scenarios in which the agreement can turn
sour and "we are confronted with another Tarapur-like situation". He suggested a three-
track approach. One, to keep pressing ahead in India's quest for nuclear self-suffiency.
Two, to force open the doors to international nuclear commcece. And three, to keep
ourselves mentally and in other ways prepared to meet a situation in which the doors
might again be close against us before we reach the goal of self-sufficiency. "A
comprehensive exercise to cater to these three tracks is the need of the hour," he said.
He went on to caution that the pursuit of close relatinos with the US should not create
"wrong peceptions" in China.
He felt that more than the agreement itself, the circumstances surrounding the
negotiations which preceded its finalisation and the changing attitude to the US amongst
the present political leaders in power in New Delhi and the small group of officials and
non-official intellectuals advising them should be a matter of concern to public opinion.
He flagged four concerns, including lack of transparency and the noticeable contempt for
those expressing reservations about the present policy of the government towards the
US in general and this agreement in particular. "Third, an uncritical fascination for the US
and a disquirting belief that India's ultimate salvation and its emergence and recognition
as a major power lie in close relations with the US and readiness to be subservient to its
policy goals. Fourth, a greater willingness to be sensitive to the views and concerns of
American legislators and moulders of public opinion than to those in India," he said.
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