Obama's Policy making: Of Double speak and Duplicity

There are serious chinks in Obama’s bid to non-proliferate the world. In fact from a no nonsense perspective, Obama’s administration seems to indulge in double speak and double standards. On one hand, his “eager” attempts to cut down the nuclear arsenal of US and Russia are quarter baked. Even if the suggested reduction of strategic nuclear warheads happens, there is enough that is left (three quarters) to smoke out each other and the world several times over!

On the other hand US’s move into the G8 to deny enrichment and reprocessing facilities to India as a non signatory to NPT is a key deterrent to the issue of Climate change. This is expected to figure in Secretary of state Hillary’s visit to New Delhi soon.

From the Indian perspective, reprocessing of spent fuel is imperative if India were to proceed with the indigenous, three stage, Thorium based Nuclear powered energy programme. Denial of re-processing facilties will slow down India’s nuclear power programme, inhibiting India-US cooperation on nuclear power and not exactly serving the cause of replacing polluting hydro-carbons with clean nuclear energy. Sadly, itwould also undermine the letter and the spirit of the October 2008 123 agreement and the “clean waiver” that the nuclear suppliers group accorded to India.