ABSTRACT
Civilian nuclear energy cooperation has been a major issue in Indo-US relations since the heyday of the George W. Bush administration. Meanwhile, Indo-US relations suffered a sudden blow when India carried out five nuclear weapon tests in May 1998. Moving forward, the foundation of the Indo-US nuclear deal was laid with the issuance of a joint statement by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Washington on 18 July 2005. The nuclear deal initiative was first undertaken by the administration to dispel core differences with India which had adversely affected bilateral relations for a long period of time, especially in regard to security and strategic issues. The Soviet Union rejected the Baruch Plan outright, apprehending that it was intended to maintain a US monopoly on nuclear weapons, research, and energy. Furthermore, Bush announced that India was a responsible nuclear power, constituting no threat to global and regional security.
