Conference: India-United States Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

The University of Reading, in association with Ambedkar Law University, Chennai, will be holding a workshop on September 14, 2009, to examine various issues arising from the India-United States Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (123 Agreement). Here's the announcement:

The 123 Agreement was signed by the United States and India in 2007 to operationalise the Joint Statement by United States President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005 whereby India agreed to separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities and place the former under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. The purpose of the Agreement is to facilitate the exchange of civil nuclear technology between India and the United States. The Agreement is exceptional in that it goes against the grain of several decades of United States non-proliferation practice and implicitly recognises India’s status as a nuclear weapons state. Despite claims that the Agreement benefits India by ending its nuclear isolation and contributing to its burgeoning energy needs, there has been stinted opposition to the Agreement; the Singh government narrowly survived a no-confidence motion brought by opposition parties in 2008 over the issue.

The University of Reading, in association with Ambedkar Law University, Chennai, is organising a workshop on 14 September 2009 to examine various issues arising from the Agreement. The workshop, which is generously funded by the British Academy, will start at 8.30 and end at 16.45 and will take place at the School of Law, Foxhill House, University of Reading. Panellists from South Asia, Europe, and the United States will address such topics as the Agreement’s legal issues, implications for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and theoretical perspectives.

Those who would like to attend the all-day workshop can register by contacting Mrs. Deborah Edwards (d.edwards@reading.ac.uk), who can advise as to payment. The fee, which includes lunch and coffee breaks in the morning and afternoon, is £20 for non-students and £10 for students. Numbers are limited. Cancellations to bookings made on or before Wednesday, 9 September 2009, will be refunded in full. Cancellations received after 9 September 2009 will be non-refundable.