Analysis Of The U.s. Selective Non-proliferation Policy

U.S. President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed a civil nuclear cooperation deal in 2006, which is generally thought to show American special treatment towards India in area of non-proliferation. This thesis argues that the signature of the U.S.-Indian civil nuclear agreement is the result of the American selective non-proliferation policy. The selectivity of the American non-proliferation policy means that the United States applies different non-proliferation policies to different states.The American selective non-proliferation policy can be traced back to the 1950s when the United States refined the Atomic Energy Act. This thesis attempts to verify the selectivity of the American nuclear non-proliferation policy, based on scholars' theoretical arguments, U.S. legislation, and practices concerning non-proliferation. Further, this thesis generalizes three application standards of American selective non-proliferation policy, namely, the democratic polity of the state concerned, no risk of further proliferation, and no jeopardizing impact on strategic stability. The United States seems to fulfill these three criteria simultaneously but puts a priority on democracy. If a democratic country acquired nuclear weapons after January 1, 1967, ensuring no further proliferation to other countries or non-state actors, and meanwhile such proliferation would not seriously undermine the regional strategic stability, this nuclear proliferation might be acceptable to the United States; otherwise, the United States would take all possible measures to prevent the nuclear proliferation.U.S. non-proliferation policy towards India embodies this argument about selectivity. From the beginning of the Cold War, supporting India to be a Democracy Showcase in South Asia even by meeting India's certain requirements for nuclear weapons is the threshold of America's non-proliferation policy to India. India's good reputation in avoiding further proliferation sets the United States at ease. Since India's nuclear detonations did not jeopardize regional stability, the United States has tried to assist India to become a major power to maintain a strategic balance in the region. All three concerns lead to the signature of 2006 U.S.-Indian nuclear cooperation agreement. To ensure to reach this agreement, the United States even passed Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006, exempting India from certain requirements of the Atomic Energy Act to permit nuclear cooperation with India. From the Eisenhower Administration to the Bush Administration, in general, the United States has always carried out a selective non-proliferation policy towards India.It should be noted that the implementation of American non-proliferation policy in reality is very complicated. This thesis explores the most important perspective in my mind-- the nature and unspoken but applicable standards of American non-proliferation policy to a potential nuclear weapon state. Although it still has a long way to go, to a certain extent, the thesis systematically presents the most important feature-- selectivity-- of American non-proliferation policy.