A Nuclear Deal

By Matthew Cooper

President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh finalized a nuclear-technology agreement last week. Here's a look at the deal, which the two leaders hailed as a sign of cooperation between democracies but critics called a threat to global security.

What's the deal? Since it tested its first nuclear weapon 32 years ago, India has been barred from importing nuclear technology, even for power plants that it needs for its exploding economy. Under the plan, India would open existing civilian nuclear reactors to international inspection, although military facilities would stay closed. In exchange, India could import technology to build reactors.

What's the controversy? The plan defies decades of global norms that isolate countries that don't comply with the international community's nuclear standards. India never signed the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and tested nuclear weapons in 1974 and 1998. Critics say other nations will now want their own exceptions to the rules. U.S. officials argue that this plan is an improvement on the status quo; currently only six of 23 Indian reactors are open to inspection.

What's in it for the U.S.? Diplomatic detente: the deal removes a major political obstacle between the world's most powerful democracy and its largest. There are commercial motives too. India plans to build many reactors in the coming decades; the U.S. wants part of the business.

Is it a done deal? The U.S. Congress still needs to okay the deal, and Bush is expected to have a big fight. But both sides want the deal so much, it's likely to pass.