Left Flank

New Delhi got its waiver from the NSG.

Yet, all is not well in the Bush administration's nuclear fantasy. It goes beyond the US Congress' vote. India's current government is in scandal over the waiver.

While the deal holds the key to unlocking billions of dollars worth of nuclear business, it is a potential political minefield for India's Congress party, which heads the ruling coalition and survived a parliamentary vote on the pact in July.

The vote was marred by allegations that the government tried to bribe opposition members into either voting in favor or abstaining.

Analysts say the deal will likely be an issue in Indian elections due by May, with opposition parties accusing the government of having signed away India's nuclear sovereignty and independent foreign policy.

And then, there's a trainwreck coming.

* Indian officials believe they have what they seek: the legal commitments at the core of a strategy that will mitigate the consequences of a resumption of testing. (The fuel reserve, access to the international marketplace, etc.)

* NSG members, on the other hand, believe they have a political commitment, however weak, from India to refrain from testing and options to isolate India again in the event that it violates the pledge.

One of the two parties is wrong. I am not eager to find out which.

And, last, there's this tantalizingly gnawing puzzle, how is Beijing involved in all this?

Having failed to use its proxies effectively, China had come out in the open with its opposition to the deal. In a bid to prevent China hijacking the proceedings, US President George Bush wrote a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao asking Beijing to support the India waiver.

Who will pay the devil if Congress doesn't squash this monster?

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