Dr S. Samuel C. Rajiv is Associate Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Click here for detailed profile
Obama’s announcement of support for India’s prospective membership in multi-lateral export control regimes is a natural corollary of US efforts over the past five years to fully accommodate India in the global non-proliferation regime.
With the Senate Committee on Foreign Relatons agreeing on September 16 to send the New START to the full Senate for ratification, the prospects of realising the potential of the Obama administration’s signal foreign policy achievement seem to have improved considerably.
The latest IAEA report dated September 6, 2010 to the Board of Governors, delineating Iran’s compliance or otherwise with the provisions and requirements of the IAEA and UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, indicates that contentious issues have not been resolved. As sanctions tighten, the US, China and Russia have urged Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA.
Blindside is a rich examination of the complexities involved in predicting and preparing for strategic surprises illuminated by pertinent case studies of past event as well as possible future outcomes across the political, technological, economic, and biological arenas.
Given the rapidly evolving situation in West Asia, and the growing danger of new threats like nuclear terrorism, it would seem that the time has come for Israel to come clean on its nuclear arsenal.
While the Turkey deal represents an advance on the Iran nuclear issue, it remains to be seen if it would lead to more constructive solutions in addressing concerns generated by the Iranian nuclear programme.
While the United States charges Iran of being in non-compliance with its NPT obligations, Iran points out that the United States and other NPT nuclear weapon states are in non-compliance of Articles IV and VI, among other provisions.
With the possibility of ‘smart’ sanctions in the near future and muscular US military moves in the Persian Gulf, the grids for the end game on Iran’s nuclear intransigence are getting strengthened.
India’s Accommodation in Multi-lateral Export Control Regimes
Obama’s announcement of support for India’s prospective membership in multi-lateral export control regimes is a natural corollary of US efforts over the past five years to fully accommodate India in the global non-proliferation regime.