Indo-US Nuclear Deal and Non-Proliferation

Different views have been expressed by the American non-proliferation lobbyists on possible loss or gain from the Indo-US nuclear agreement. Would the agreement complicate global non-proliferation efforts as the critics argue or would it lead to a stronger front to deal with emerging non-proliferation challenges? To answer these questions it is necessary to examine the merits of the arguments put forward by the US non-proliferation lobby carefully. Two of the principal arguments – one, that it would encourage nuclear proliferation by threshold states such as North Korea and Iran, and two, that it would lead to China claiming exceptional treatment for Pakistan similar to what India might receive under the US-India nuclear deal – are inappropriate and hollow, given India’s non-NPT status and positive non-proliferation record that the countries mentioned do not possess.