So near, yet so agonisingly far

Manan Dwivedi, "So near, yet so agonisingly far," governancenow.com

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China blocked India’s campaign for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. But all is not lost as the club meets again later this year when New Delhi can make a fresh bid

Excerpt:

India’s claim to the full-fledged membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) comes at an opportune time when most of the nations in the international system are knocking at the door of the West-ordained disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation order for parity and equity with the rest of the nuclear haves. ...

US president Barack Obama proclaimed in November 2010 that India would be included in the NSG, the Wassennar Arrangement, the Australia Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime in continuation with “the restoration of the principles of the regime perpetuation” of all the four non-proliferation regimes. France, led by the then president Nicolas Sarkozy, too, extended its support to the Indian case for NSG. Switzerland announced its support on June 6, but later withdrew it. Despite the joint secretaries of the ministry of external affairs being sent to a large number of prominent national capitals to propagate the cause of the Indian case for NSG, the Chinese emerged triumphant and India was denied NSG membership. Still, 38 of the total 48 members have supported India, which is no mean achievement for Narendra Modi’s public diplomacy. ...

The question worth pondering upon is the one that what can India do now and how it can recalibrate its contention at NSG? The NSG has a gathering in the end of 2016, which can be targeted as the next jamboree to reassert the rationale and the non-harmful nature of the Indian cause. India has to argue again that its pristine and unscathed adherence to the peaceful use of nuclear energy should be delved upon and not it being a non-party to NPT. The other argument which can fetch dividends is that bodies such as NSG which though being private in origin and nature should follow the premise of convergence and the ethics of international organisations.

The functional argument of British scholar David Mitrany [JB - see] , which proposes functional effectiveness for the international organisations, can be utilised by India at NSG for a future public diplomacy exercise. ...