Recent Visit of US National Security Advisor

Context: The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan recently visited India.

Key Points Highlighted by Jake Sullivan’s Recent Visit to India

• Strengthening the Strategic Partnership: Acknowledged the Biden Administration’s expansive commitment to advancing the India-US strategic partnership, ensuring it remains resilient against unanticipated crises.
• Deepening Advanced Technology Collaboration: Focused on areas like AI, semiconductors, space, and biotechnology under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), which promotes techno-industrial collaboration involving governments, industries, and research institutions.
• Realignment of Global Economy: Emphasized reducing global dependence on China by building technology partnerships with allies, contributing to regional balance in the Indo-Pacific.
• Lifting Restrictions on Space Cooperation: Announced the removal of restrictions on civilian space cooperation and continued efforts to delist key Indian atomic energy centres from the US blacklist to enable civilian nuclear energy collaboration.
• Focus on Nuclear Energy: Highlighted the potential of nuclear energy to meet the clean energy demands of data centres powering AI, urging regulatory reforms in India to facilitate international investments.

India’s Nuclear Journey: Progress

Early Cooperation and Challenges

• Initial Collaboration: Post-independence, the US supported India’s nuclear and space programs.
  • Key contributions included modernizing agriculture (Green Revolution) and strengthening scientific education.
• Non-Proliferation Challenges (1970s–1990s): The US imposed stringent non-proliferation laws, sanctioning India for staying non-nuclear.
  • Bilateral nuclear cooperation collapsed during this period.

Breakthrough and Subsequent Progress

• India-US Civil Nuclear Deal (2005-08): Negotiated by George W. Bush and Manmohan Singh, it resolved key nuclear disputes.
  • Marked a paradigm shift in bilateral relations, enabling peaceful nuclear energy cooperation.
• Successive Administrations: Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden built upon the nuclear deal, paving the way for advanced technology and energy collaboration.

Hurdles in Realizing Full Potential

• Regulatory Barriers in India: The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (2010) dissuaded foreign companies due to its stringent liability provisions.
  • No international nuclear power plants were established in India, except by Russia, even two decades after the deal.
• Blacklisting of Indian Atomic Centres: Persistent US restrictions on civilian nuclear cooperation with key Indian facilities hindered progress.
• Economic Viability: High costs and lack of investment limited India’s ability to harness nuclear energy fully.

Way Forward

• Regulatory Reforms: Modify liability laws to attract investments from US and other global players.
• Boosting Infrastructure: Invest in domestic manufacturing and research in nuclear technology to reduce dependency on imports.
• Leveraging AI’s Energy Demands: Capitalize on nuclear energy’s resurgence driven by clean energy needs for AI-driven data centres.
• Strengthening US-India Cooperation: Ensure sustained diplomatic engagement to deepen civilian nuclear collaboration and resolve pending restrictions.
• Public-Private Partnerships: Encourage collaborations between government and industry to develop scalable, economically viable nuclear solutions.
• Commitment to Clean Energy Goals: Align nuclear energy development with India’s renewable energy transition to meet climate goals and energy security needs.

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