Day: February 20, 2011

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India at 60: The India-U.S. Nuclear Deal on Hold

An article by Teresita C. Schaffer on India’s decision to put the U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Agreement on hold.

The bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement (“123 Agreement”) India and the United States announced July 27, 2007 was a move towards implementing their civilian nuclear deal, and was greeted with jubilation inside both governments. Surveys suggested that it was popular with ordinary Indians. But it faced political explosions in India. Of the three Indian groups that had expressed concerns about the deal, one, the nuclear establishment, pronounced itself satisfied with the 123 Agreement. The other two went into rising choruses of opposition. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which many believe would happily have accepted the same deal had it been in power, objected on grounds that it might place restrictions on India’s nuclear arsenal.

Originally published in the Center for Strategic & International Studies‘ South Asia Monitor on October 26, 2007. Read the entire article.

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India’s “Look West” Policy: Why Central Asia Matters

An article by Teresita C. Schaffer and Vibhuti Haté on India’s foreign policy and economic interests in Central Asia, a market that had been largely inaccessible during the existence of the Soviet Union.

India has had its eye on Central Asia for a long time. Its primary interests there are in energy, minimizing Pakistani influence, and establishing itself as a significant player in the interplay of outside powers that is taking shape. The main difficulties lie in connecting Central Asian resources to the Indian market – a familiar problem for the Central Asians. U.S. and Indian interests overlap, but the U.S. is more focused on sustaining the independence of the Central Asian states.

Originally published in the Center for Strategic & International Studies‘ South Asia Monitor on September 5, 2007. Read the entire article.

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India, China and Japan

An article by Teresita C. Schaffer and Vibhuti Haté on India’s economic relations with China and Japan.

Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to India in November 2006, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan in December 2006, underline India’s increasing economic and political prominence in Asia. India’s economic relations with China are developing faster than those with Japan. Its strategic connections with Japan are stronger, and lack the undercurrent of rivalry that marks those with China. India is interested in playing a larger role on the broader Asian scene, but at the moment has only a small place in the institutional infrastructure for Asian cooperation. These three countries’ economic and strategic interests, along with those of the United States, come together in the Indian Ocean. That is where the effort to create a peaceful path for the rise of China and India will be tested.

Originally published in the Center for Strategic & International Studies‘ South Asia Monitor on January 3, 2007. Read the entire article.

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The Bush Visit and the Nuclear Deal

An article by Teresita C. Schaffer and Pramit Mitra on the implications of the U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Agreement.

After a jubilant visit by President George W. Bush to Delhi and stops in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the spotlight has turned to Capitol Hill. Legislation to amend the 1954 U.S. Atomic Energy Act to allow the president to go ahead with the recently concluded U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Agreement was introduced in both houses of Congress on March 16, 2006. Administration officials are optimistic that it will pass, though they recognize that this will take hard work and the process will be complicated. If the Bush administration succeeds, however, the agreement could provide a major boost to U.S.-India bilateral relations and change the priorities and operation of the nonproliferation regime.

Originally published in the Center for Strategic & International Studies‘ South Asia Monitor on April 3, 2006. Read the entire article.

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Engaging India: The U.S. Role in India’s Fight against HIV/AIDS

A report by Teresita C. Schaffer and Pramit Mitra on the Task Force on HIV/AIDS, as directed by the Center for Strategic & International Studies.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is both a major international issue for the United States and one of the most serious questions hanging over India’s future, extending beyond public health into India’s economic and social prospects. Since 1986, when the first case was reported in India, HIV has spread rapidly from urban to rural areas and from high-risk groups to the general population.

Originally published by CSIS on June 1, 2005. View the entire report, or the annotated version.