How do the development of nuclear power in China and other Asian countries serve to reflect the negative aspects of US foreign policy?

Answer 1

Introduction

1. Asia - the continent with the biggest population in the world - has attained substantial economic growth within the past decades. In many countries, the swift population and economic growth has brought a tremendous demand for energy and electricity - one which fossil fuels and hydropower together will not be able to meet. Nuclear power is thus anticipated to become an essential route for meeting the region's long-term electricity needs on a sustainable basis. The People's Republic of China and India, as the world's two largest developing countries, are enthusiastically proceeding with national nuclear energy programmes. Several other Asian countries have proclaimed their intentions to consider nuclear power deployment in their long-term energy plans. With the use of Nuclear Power comes its Misuse and as the sole superpower the misuse of Nuclear energy is sole failure of United States.

Nuclear Power Realities of Asia

2. To understand the negative aspects of US foreign policy as regard to Nuclear Asia we need to understand Nuclear Realities.

(a) Nuclear weapons are here to stay in China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.

(b) India and Pakistan openly reject the NPT as an attempt to undermine their sovereign rights to possess nuclear weapons.

(c) The nuclear proliferation nets are in place. Pakistan may have shut down A Q Khan's network but this does not necessarily eliminate proliferation networks all over Asia.

(d) The nuclear proliferation networks interconnect with other criminal networks like drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other organized crime networks.

(e) The networks that support the terrorist groups in Asia are possibly interconnecting with the networks that assist trade between suppliers and consumers in nuclear proliferation trade.

(f) The terrorist networks may be comprised principally of non-state actors, but they still possess threat of taking over nuclear weapons.

(g) Many of the Asian states are further developing their bilateral relations with their Asian neighbours to address their mutual security concerns--they are not waiting for a regional, multilateral solution. China, Japan, India and Pakistan are the most notable examples.

(h) Economy of almost all Asian countries are expanding at exponential level and to sustain this progress they need energy and for energy they need nuclear power.

Negative US Foreign Policy and Nuclear Asia

3. Asia this slowing drifting towards Nuclear Power, may it be for civilian use or Military. This phenomenon is primarily because of negative US foreign policy. Some of the key points of this policy are as under:

(a) Leadership of Asia. The United States has been a dominant power in Asia since WWII. China and India are looking forward to become leaders of world in general and Asia in particular. To strengthen their grip they are looking towards economic and military might including nuclear power. USA has its own hegemonic desires and to fulfil those desires it has been involved in one or another conflicts overlooking nuclear desires of Asian countries.

(b) US Policy Failure in North Korea. North Korea has been among the most vexing and persistent problems in U.S. foreign policy in the post-Cold War period. The United States has never had formal diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Efforts to disarm North Korea have failed. Despite the February 2007 six-party agreement, which shut down North Korea's plutonium production facilities, Pyongyang has refused to take additional steps to disable North Korea's nuclear

facilities or to relinquish its existing stocks of fissile materials and weapons. Despite sanctions and threat of military action North Korea has become nuclear power thus highlighting negative foreign policy of US.

(c) US Policy Failure in Iran. In the Middle East US efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons have also collapsed. UN Security Council failed to impose serious sanctions as China and Russia are opposed to it. Though Iran insists that its nuclear programme is for civil used but under NPT its Iran's responsibility to satisfy the world. Iran is continuing its nuclear programme without consent of US thus a failure of US foreign policy.

(d) US India Civil Nuclear Deal. U.S.-India nuclear cooperation agreement has tilted the strategic balance between India and Pakistan in favour of the former. Pakistan, which had repeatedly asked for a similar deal and been bluntly denied, would nevertheless embark upon a stepped up nuclear weaponisation programme just to keep pace with India - the next-door neighbour and traditional rival. This would turn the South Asian scene even more volatile and potentially cataclysmic. Such deal policies bring more harm than good thus it can be labelled as negative US foreign policy. Some of negative effects of US India nuclear deal are as under:

(i) It would accelerate the nuclear arms race in South Asia severely undermining our objectives of a peaceful nuke free South Asian region.

(ii) It would also act as a serious dampener for the pursuit of renewable and environmentally benign energy like wind power, solar energy and such others.

(iii) It would also weaken US efforts of making India take a lead role in the struggle for a nuclear weapons free South Asia and the world.

(e) US China Relations. The United States and China are engaged in a long-term strategic competition Washington and Beijing differ deeply on a wide range of economic, diplomatic, security, and human rights issues. China has very close working relations with North Korea, Iran and Pakistan all of whose nuclear programme has traces back to China. This is cause of great diplomatic rift between these two giants. As China grows its conventional and nuclear military capabilities, so too will its ability to project its power and influence more effectively not only regionally, but eventually more globally. China's military rise therefore poses serious risks to the security and interests of the United States. The United States and China are locked in a contest for supremacy in the Asia.

(f) Nuclear Pakistan and United States. Pakistan has always been of strategic significance to the US and today is no exception. In fact the country could possibly be seen as more vital to US in the existing environment than previously. The United States is extremely concerned about Pakistani nuclear materials falling into the wrong hands but in the long historical relationship between two countries US had turned a blind eye at Pakistan's nuclear programme for its support in Afghan war. After India did nuclear explosion in year 1998 US tried to prevent Pakistan to do the same and it failed. So US foreign policy for Nuclear Pakistan has been a total failure.

Conclusion

4. Looking back over the previous fifty-plus years of the nuclear age, the international community has adapted to changing circumstances and adopted new measures to halt, or at least retard, the spread of nuclear weapons. The United States has often led the way, with such initiatives as Atoms for Peace, the IAEA, the Partial Test Ban Treaty, the NPT, and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. All these efforts have work well in most of the regions of the world except Asia. Even with the utmost effort US has failed to stop China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Iran from making nuclear weapons. This failure is because of negative foreign policy of United States. In cold war era US collaborated with China to counter Soviet Union giving China clean chit for its nuclear power. In present scenario US signed a civil nuclear deal with India to counter influence of China thus giving India clean chit for its nuclear programme. US put sanctions on Pakistan after its nuclear test in 1998 but lifted them when Pakistan became important to it in the war on terrorism. These entire examples prove that United States never had strong anti-nuclear foreign policy for Asia and development of nuclear Asia is actually US foreign policy failure.