Why the US-India Nuclear Accord is a Good Deal.

The March 2006 US-India nuclear accord has been criticised for its likely adverse effect on the nuclear non-proliferation regime, especially the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Without such an accord, however, India, as a rising power, will remain outside the regime and remain less than fully integrated, strategically, politically, economically and technologically, in the international system. The damage critics envision to the non-proliferation regime from the US-India accord pales in comparison to the damage that can be done by India's actions and rhetoric as a dissatisfied state. But in fact the deal upholds and strengthens rather than undermines the regime. Attempts by the United States to integrate India into the non-proliferation regime as a lead actor augur well for the longevity of both the nonproliferation regime and the international order, and suggest to other rising powers that the system is flexible enough to allow for inevitable changes in the global distribution of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]