To President Bush

The courtship of India was begun by President Clinton, but the Bush Administration has brought what is potentially the most important strategic partnership of the coming century to the point of consummation. AFJ will examine the pros and cons of the nuclear deal framed during the president’s recent trip to New Delhi in the May issue, but the implications for U.S. strategy go far beyond the particulars of the deal itself. India is one of only a handful of nations who share our strategic concerns about radical Islam and China, who are stable and serious democracies, and who still regard military power as a legitimate tool of statecraft. Despite the compelling logic of the partnership, the president is taking a big political risk in offering nuclear technology to India; without congressional cooperation, the partnership might be stillborn.