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Rekha Dixit
Rekha Dixit

CLUB CLASS

Why India wants exclusive nuclear club memberships

nsg-modi-reuters [FILE] Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends last year's Nuclear Security Summit in Washington | Reuters

Two done, one in the wings, and one still a distant dream—this is the status report of India's aspirations to join the four coveted nuclear clubs in the world. 

India joined the Wassenar Arrangement on December 8, becoming the 42nd nation to join this club. “India's entry into the Arrangement would be mutually beneficial and further contribute to international security and non-proliferation objectives,'' said an elated Minsitry of External Affairs (MEA) announcing the membership. 

India thanked Japan and France, the co-rapporteurs, for facilitating its entry into the Arrangement as well as ambassador Jean Louis Falconi of France, the plenary chair of the WA for 2017, and Philip Griffiths, head of the WA Secretariat. 

The Wassenar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual Use Goods and Technologies is a multilateral export control regime. The other four are: Nuclear Suppliers Grouop (NSG), Australia Group and Missile Technology Control Regime (MTRC). India got membership into the MTRC in June 2016. India has applied to the Australia Group, an application that appears to be approved soon enough. The NSG membership, however, continues to elude India. 

The biggest stonewall for India's entry into the NSG is China, which is, significantly, not a member of the other three nuclear clubs. China insists that India, a non signatory to the non proliferation treaty, be kept out. The more China digs in its heels, the more India has got adamant to get in. At the last rejection of membership in 2016, it became clear that India's diplomatic outreach had not been adequate, with several other countries like New Zealand, Turkey, Austria and South Africa, too, opposing India's request. 

Has India really suffered with being out of these clubs? Not with the NSG, for sure, because India was already given a generous exemption (which has not been removed yet). This “clean waiver” allows India to trade in nuclear material with NSG countries (that control the trade). The waiver was given with India pledging that it would not share sensitive nuclear technology and material and would uphold its voluntary moratorium on testing nuclear materials. Indeed, India has already forged robust civil nuclear deals with the US and Japan. But as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj once said, India wants to be inside the room, not standing outside the door. 

India's coveting of these club memberships is often said to be the same as the aspiration for a gymkhana club membership. It gives you a certain exclusivity, though nothing much more. That exclusivity is what India craves at a time it is assuming a role in the global order, positioning itself as an important regional, even if not global, player. 

So what does the Wassenar Arrangement do for India? The group's main agenda is to ensure that transfers of nuclear material do not contribute to development or enhancement of military capabilities. Every six months, member nations share information on deliveries of conventional arms to non members under the following categories: battle tanks, armoured flying vehicles, large caliber artillery, military aircraft, military helicopter, warships, missiles and missile systems, small arms and light weapons. 

With this agenda in the backdrop, India's membership largely provides one big benefit. It boosts India's non-proliferation record and positions it as a responsible player, though it is not an NPT signatory. This membership, and the image that goes with it, allows India to proceed with procuring nuclear material, crucial to India's development. India, incidentally, has pledged to reduce its dependence on carbon fuels in the long run, with a bouquet of renewables and clean energy sources. Nuclear energy is one big source. 

Once India gets the three membership cards, its position as an NSG aspirant will get stronger. The Australia Group membership, which controls spread of chemical and biological weapons, appears to be in an advanced stage of consideration. If India succeeds in getting every other member nation to support its bid at the next NSG outing, it would be a huge diplomatic win, as China would be isolated and appear as peevish. But there is much diplomatic parleying to be done in the meanwhile. 

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