In March 2006, when President Bush made his first visit to India, he pleased his hosts by signing an agreement allowing the United States to export nuclear technology to India. Because of existing U.S. law forbidding such exports, this agreement will need congressional approval.

The United States Atomic Energy Act of 1954 prohibits the export of nuclear technologies to countries that have not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This act has been the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The United States is one of 188 nations that have endorsed the NPT, which bans the export of nuclear technology to countries that do not agree to international inspections of their nuclear program.

India is one of the few countries, including Pakistan and Israel, that have not signed the NPT, and it does not allow international inspections of its nuclear program. In 1974, India exploded a nuclear weapon using nuclear material provided by the United States for civilian purposes. India sees itself as a rapidly modernizing democracy with the right to be a member of the nuclear weapons club.

On the other hand, Iran is a signatory of the NPT, and until recently, has allowed strict inspections of its nuclear program. It has not developed nuclear weapons and maintains that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons and only wants nuclear technology to produce electricity. The United States is trying to stop Iran's nuclear program, holding that it is a cover for developing nuclear weapons. Its agreement to supply India with nuclear technology, despite it not having signed the NPT and having developed nuclear weapons, weakens the ability of the United States to gain support for its position on Iran. Many countries see the United States' policy on India and Iran as a double standard.

While the Bush administration asserts that the agreement will not contribute to a nuclear arms race in Asia, critics argue that the agreement will enable India to produce nearly 50 nuclear weapons per year, while at present, it can produce six to ten. Neither Pakistan nor China, both of which have produced nuclear weapons, is likely to sit back and allow India to increase its nuclear arsenal without doing the same. Clearly, it would seem, the agreement with India weakens international nonproliferation efforts. However, some experts argue that this agreement will bring India part way under nuclear regulations and limit somewhat the expansion of nuclear weaponry.

One of the reasons the Bush administration wants to make nuclear technology available to India is that it wants it to produce more of its electricity through nuclear power plants. As India, with a population of more than one billion, grows economically, its demand for energy will increase greatly. The mounting competition for the world's limited energy resources, particularly fossil fuels, is a concern of the United States. Promoting more energy conservation and the development of other sources of energy would be a safer way of addressing the energy problem than exporting nuclear technology and the promotion of nuclear power plants. It would also give more credence to the United States' push for other countries to adopt other energy sources, including nuclear.