The United States Approach toward India's Nuclear Programme since 2006

In 2006, the United States formally signed the Civil Nuclear Agreement with India, which marked a formal change in its hard-line approach to India’s nuclear program, and has since continued to adapt its approach and policies to better respond to the issues at hand. From the Bush administration to the Trump administration, although friction between the two countries still occurs from time to time, the overall trend has been one of engagement as well as support, and the two countries have deepened their cooperation not only in the nuclear field, but also in various fields. With the U.S’s assistance, India has not only escaped from nuclear isolation, but also gained some considerable attention for being a nuclear power. This thesis collates and analyzes the three administrations’ approaches and responses to India’s nuclear program: Bush, Obama, and Trump. Combs through the dynamics of U.S. nuclear policy toward India from 2006 to 2020. And further examines the reasons for the change in U.S. approaches and the implications for U.S.-India nuclear cooperation. This thesis analyzes the motivation for the U.S. to change its approach to India’s nuclear program at both the international and domestic levels, on the one hand, it has served U.S. strategic and economic interests, and on the other hand, lobbying by Indian-Americans and promotion by U.S. domestic leaders have significantly changed US approaches. At the same time, this thesis also examines the effect of the three U.S. administrations’ nuclear cooperation with India, which, on the positive side, has brought certain economic and political benefits to both the U.S. and India. On the negative side, the special nuclear policy of the U.S. towards India has impacted the international non-proliferation regime, broken the balance of the situation in South Asia, and even damaged its own image and policy.