Dr Rajkumar Singh
INDIA and the United States of America had
entered into an agreement of cooperation on
25 October 1963 to supply enriched uranium up to 1993 to the Tarapur Atomic Power Station. A contract incorporating the agreement was signed on 17 May 1966. The contract bound India not to obtain supplies of nuclear fuel from any other sources. On the other, the US fuel supply to the Tarapur nuclear reactor could never be consistent. It never honoured its treaty, commitments particularly after the nuclear explosion by India in May 1974. Before the event, Washington did not work hard even for horizontal non-proliferation. Its main concern was to defend its pre-eminence in the market of nuclear export vis-a-vis other nuclear powers, especially its own allies in Western Europe. Of course, some concern was expressed by public interest groups in the United States over the possible hazard to health and the pollution of the environment by the nuclear plants and the danger that the nuclear terrorists might pose to the security of the world.
US understanding of the region: However, in general, the West sharply reacted to India’s nuclear detonation. Both the American government and the press decried it on the ground that it would encourage further nuclear proliferation. They did not accept India’s argument that it was peaceful explosion. Earlier, Bangladesh’s emergence as a free country in December 1971, followed by nuclear explosion in 1974 only effected a qualitative change in India’s military potential but also torn into pieces the so-called balance between India and Pakistan and established New Delhi’s pre-eminence in the sub-continent. The US was angry because a strong India, worse still a nuclear India, was bad for the US and therefore had to be contained. Despite the statements and actions of the Government of India that it was not on the nuclear path, demands were made in the US for making a complete review of the nuclear relationship between the two countries. Earlier, with the explosion of the first nuclear weapon in 1945, the chances of terrorists and additional nations going nuclear increased that caused anxiety all over the world.
Disarmament efforts by big powers: After a series of efforts made by the nations of the world in post-World War-II phase for disarmament, the (erstwhile) Soviet Union and United States of America took up fresh negotiations in July to initial Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT). It was signed by the Soviet Union, USA and UK on 05 August 1963 and came into force on 10 October 1963. About a hundred nations joined this treaty with France and China refusing it to sign. The treaty prohibited all nuclear weapon test explosions on the surface, in the atmosphere and underwater including territorial waters and high seas. It prohibited all tests for peaceful nuclear explosives (PNEs), at a place under the jurisdiction of a party to this treaty. The treaty stated that the underground tests were not prohibited. All states were invited to join the treaty which is of unlimited duration. In extraordinary event a state, which having signed the treaty, became a party to it, was given the right to withdraw. Although being the first treaty in sphere of disarmament it did bring about a breakthrough in relation to the problem, yet it had only a limited value, for it failed to secure ban on all nuclear tests. At least it paved the way for further negotiations for more effective arms control measures. It was ratified by three original signatories, ninety-eight other members of the United Nations including India and seven non- member states of the UN.
Signing of discriminatory treaties: Signing of the PTBT in 1963 did not satisfy the nations of the world, the Big in particular. The international community realised that a wider proliferation of nuclear weapons would pose a threat to world security. This led to the development of many rules and institutions both national and international. Since the end of the Second World War, countless smaller wars have been fought. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost. In the situation assessment of nuclear proliferation continues to be very important and every country is interested in preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons. If many countries acquire nuclear weapons the threat to their neighbours would increase and sooner or later threaten the security of the new owners themselves. This would lessen the security for all. The treaty of 1963 sought to solve the most urgent environmental problem. But the problem of qualitative and quantitative nuclear arms race and the danger of nuclear proliferation remained. The growing world-wide interest in nuclear power caused the danger of nuclear proliferation. Many countries including India were interested only in nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. But the problem was that the line between energy for peaceful purposes and nuclear arms manufacture was very thin. Therefore, public pressure was built for a ban on nuclear proliferation. As step further in this regard, two separate though identical treaties were proposed by the USA and Soviet Union in the UN General Assembly which endorsed the proposal by a big majority on 12th June 1968. It was opened for signature on 1st July 1968. The treaty is known as Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It was immediately signed by the UK, USA and the Soviet Union as well as more than fifty other countries. Initially, it was for 25 years but in a conference held in 1995 to extend the treaty for a limited or unlimited period, it was extended for indefinite period.
— The writer is Professor and Head, P G Department of Political Science, University of Bihar, India.
