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.