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The US and India: Nuclear Power and Atomic Weapons

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India defied the US and the rest of the world when it tested an atomic bomb. Now, Washington's agreed to sell India nuclear fuel and technology. The world's largest democracy is growing fast and needs energy badly. Will this be a bonanza for business and a boost for security? Will it mean the end of efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons?  Plus, President Bush and the Pentagon discuss strategies for victory in Iraq, and former President Jimmy Carter's being called "cynical" and "anti-Semitic" for a new book that criticizes Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

Making News

Bush Meets with Pentagon on Increasing US Troops in Iraq ()

President Bush won't announce his new Iraq strategy until next year, and today he went to the Pentagon to get proposals from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  The Los Angeles Times reports that the military has a plan to satisfy his demand to focus on victory.

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Main Topic

A Nuclear India ()

With support from both parties in Congress, President Bush is about to sign an agreement to sell India nuclear fuel and technology. Under the deal, India's 14 civilian reactors will be open to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency, but eight military reactors will not. Supporters call the democracy, which holds one-fifth of the world's population and has a desperate need for energy, a counterweight to China and a vast potential market for American business. But India refused to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty; it developed and twice tested its own atom bomb. Opponents warn, this deal could mean the end of efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. We weigh the pros and cons of a historic agreement. Is India a "responsible" nuclear power?  What about Pakistan and China?

Guests:
  • Michael Krepon: Co-founder and President of the Henry L. Stimson Center
  • Selig Harrison: Director of the Asia Program at the Center for International Policy
  • Shekhar Gupta: Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Express
  • Ron Somers: President of the US-India Business Council
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Guest Interview

Jimmy Carter Draws Heat over Israel-Palestine Book ()

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As President, Jimmy Carter brought Israel together with Egypt in 1978.  In 2002, he won the Nobel Peace Prize, in part for his work in the Middle East.  But his latest book has raised a furor for its descriptions of what's going on in that region and who's responsible.  Carter's 26th book is Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. Its title alone has done what he says he intended the book to do: provoke debate and discussion--much of it very angry.

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Transcripts of To the Point are available from The Transcription Company, (818) 848-6500, or www.transcripts.net. A CD copy is available by calling 1.888.600.5279

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