Bush Signs Significant Legislation on US-India Policy

By Merlyn Mathew

In today’s world, the need for international diplomacy and cooperation among nations is great. On Wednesday, October 8^th, 2008, President Bush signed legislation allowing American businesses to enter India’s nuclear market.

According to the agreement between the two nations, India promised to allow U.S. inspectors to enter Indian civilian nuclear plants if the United States would give its nuclear fuel and technology to it.

There are many critics of this action, according to the Washington Post, which claimed that  President Bush defends his decision to sign the agreement: “By undertaking new cooperation on civil nuclear energy, India will be able to count on a reliable fuel supply for its civilian reactors, meet the energy demands of its people, and reduce its independence on fossil fuels […] For our part, the United States will gain access to a growing market for civilian nuclear technologies and materials that will help American businesses create more jobs for our people here at home.”

Rosemont students and American citizens in general may wonder what this whole event means to us. While this action may have good intentions for the American people, it can also be potentially dangerous. This agreement still leaves in question the current condition of Indian military nuclear plants.  For example, one question remains is ‘will this agreement really make a difference in the way the United States handles nations with nuclear power-developing technology?’  Perhaps the United States giving India new technology and allowing it to develop may be negative; for this can allow the Indian government to secretly start or continue their own nuclear weapons in military site plants. This could pose as a big risk that President Bush might be willing to take.

In a time when Americans wish to be independent of other nations, perhaps investing in India's nuclear plants is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind.  Due to the technology that the US gives to India and the trade that happens between both nations, more jobs will be available to American citizens and businesses will rise.  This can happen only if the agreement goes according to plan.  It is agreed that with the current state of the economy, more jobs could only mean a bigger, better world for American citizens.