Examining India’s unsuccessful NSG bid

Despite India’s fervent push for admission into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the country remains outside the elite body that regulates nuclear trade worldwide – for now. DW examines the reasons behind this. Indien Kudankulam Atomkraftwerk Archiv 2012For the past several weeks, India’s central foreign policy goal had been to secure membership of the NSG – a 48-nation grouping that controls the export of technology and materials used to generate nuclear power and make atomic weapons.New Delhi hoped the body would respond positively to its all-out diplomatic campaign at the NSG meeting held in South Korean capital Seoul on June 23-24.But the frenetic efforts by Indian diplomats have failed to bear fruit due to overtly strident opposition to the South Asian nation’s inclusion from China and objections raised by a few other NSG members like Turkey – saying that India is yet to sign the non-proliferation treaty (NPT).The NPT is an international treaty meant to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and arms technologies, while promoting peaceful use of nuclear energy. India refuses to sign it saying it is discriminatory in nature as it defines nuclear weapons states as those that tested nuclear devices before 1967.A complex issueIn the statement released at the end of the meeting, the NSG said: “Participating governments reiterated their firm support for the full, complete and effective implementation of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime.””The NSG had discussions on the issue of technical, legal and political aspects of the participation of non-NPT states in the NSG and decided to continue its discussion,” it added. Staatsbesuch Indiens Premierminister Modi besucht China Xi JinpingModi met Xi on the margins of the SCO summit in Tashkent to discuss India’s NSG bidThe grouping takes decisions based on consensus and that’s why all members participating in the Seoul meeting had to agree for India’s bid to succeed.”Although