The mis-argumentative Indian

In India, debates are settled by repetitively shouting straw man arguments. The side that shouts the loudest, wins. So, what was the Nuclear Deal about? India's energy needs you say? Well, can't find that in any newspaper reports. Let's look at some of the ideas put forward in support of the deal:

We need Nuclear Power:

No, we don't. We need electrical power, not specifically from Nuclear reactors. Unless we get it real cheap and without hassles. What we have here is not cheap, and not likely to become a significant source of energy in the next decade or so, despite the "deal". Let's not even talk about the hassles yet.

We need Electrical Power:

No we don't. We need to develop resources we can trade in exchange for power. If we are good at producing Rutabagas, let's make lots of Rutabagas and sell it to Bangladesh. Then we use the money to buy thermal power from grids off Pakistan or Hydro power from Nepal. Flippancy aside, even during the rare moments India Inc. actually thinks "reforms", we have a way to completely distort it still it stops making economic sense.

This is a pertinent point rendered a straw man argument by the after-deal fiasco. As we see it, reforming the conventional power sector, meaning which keeping Sibu Soren type of politicians away from the coal ministry and allowing more privatization will have a much bigger impact than Nuclear power. In fact given that only about 10% of projected installed capacity of 300,000 MW (Kalam estimate: 400,000) in year 2020 will come from Nuclear reactors, we must reform the energy sector in general and not get entangled into the kind of wild goose chase which kept the Government from functioning normally for almost 2 years of its tenure.

Oil is becoming expensive:

Oil is not used to make electricity in India. Next?

Actually, coal and gas are becoming more expensive too but so will nuclear fuel. Plus oil has become a victim of gravity lately anyway.

This is our last chance:

Just because Congress has a few months to go, doesn't mean we need rush into something this important. To paraphrase H.D. Kumaraswamy, in international politics there is no end. Countries are observed for macro level behavior. No one would remember we backed out of this deal. But if we test a small device in Pokhran desert, the liberal crowd in West Europe will sulk for decades now. Actually, there is a case for holding off this deal because in a decade or so we may get a front door entry into the Nuclear club and not a back door entry which we are attempting now.

President Kalam likes the deal:

This has little value other than say celebrity endorsement for soaps and detergents. Kalam is a technological man. Men like toys. Besides, Kalam's take on the deal is something very different. Here is CNN-IBN transcript and here is the TOI transcript for the recent Kalam interview. Watch the interview, the man has a completely odd perspective on the testing issue.

Kalawati wants Nuclear Power:

Well, Kalawati wants food, shelter and education for her children first. This would be the classic socialist argument, so it can be turned on its head. Assuming Kalawati does get prosperous and able to afford electricity, in year 2020 only about 10% of her electric will come from Nuclear reactors.

Nuclear Power is high-tech:

That is the basic problem, Nuclear Power has a sex appeal that titillates the middle class crowd. Admittedly, Nuclear science is at the most cutting age of science. But we are already doing some good Nuke stuff. We can still do those things and more.

India's Nuclear isolation (apartheid) will end:

Surely this is a subliminal appeal to the automatic revulsion Indians feel towards the caste system but has nothing to do with the original objective (Electricity, remember?). It is being implied that unless we do this deal, our development in all fronts, not just Nuclear Power, will be impacted. The Nuclear "isolation" only limited to a narrow range of technologies.

Our technological development is actually constrained by our own domestic laws more than any international restriction. Even the Nuke power thing will require repealing domestic restrictions on private investment. Funny thing is, the Pundits who are vociferously batting for ending "isolation" supported our dreadful anti-development Nehruvian regime for decades. Just read some of the editorials when the NDA Government was attempting to reduce our "trade isolation".

The Nuclear deal is complex and hence ordinary people won't understand it

Actually much of India's problems are a result of intellectual overload. Perhaps we need a cultural revolution. Right about now the Nuclear Deal is being hailed in exactly those terms the giant public sector follies were hailed during the Nehruvian days of socialism.

BJP also wanted this deal:

And that makes it a good deal? A pure conjecture and hence a straw man argument. In any case, the fact that BJP had something to do with this is being purged from history as we speak, after the King Singh's great "victory". The TOI timeline here, CNN-IBN timeline here. Do you see a mention of BJP?

BJP would have signed it under much less favorable terms:

See above.

It turns out that Congress also signed it under much less favorable terms! Pranab Mukherjee made a grand speech and they simply appended it to the waiver text. We should really keep politicians out of diplomatic matters - they simply do not know the difference between when they are speaking to Kalawati in an election rally and when they are speaking to the top hawks in the world.

US internal memos will not impact international agreements:

This is confusing cause and effect or rather precedence and antecedence. We could explain it but too tired right now.

Hey, does anyone still remember the original objective?

We do not need to test in the near future:

Singhvi said in a CNN-IBN show that we tested only twice, we may not test again in 20 years. Kapil Sibal also said the same thing. This is quite a departure from what they were saying before they went to IAEA. From their bravura stance of "we shall not make any compromise" they are now down to hope and prayers. Well, good luck, fellas.

Reactors are dying:

Well, after the deal, there will be a lot more reactors at the risk of death.

Muslims have no objection to the deal:

Seriously, our national policy must be endorsed by them. That is the most important thing.

Bloggers support the deal:

Well, yeah, sure.