ISAS Briefs

The governing Australian Labor Party's latest vote to lift the ban on uranium sales to nuclear-armed India for its civilian atomic energy programme has economic and strategic overtones. On the economic side, though, New Delhi may not be able to make precise estimates of its long-term uranium needs until and unless the Indian civil society comes to terms with civil nuclear energy as a safe bet. At the same time, Australia is keen to quiz India on the unrelated but strategically important nuclear safeguards issues. Overarching these cross-currents is the political fact of both New Delhi and Washington welcoming the Julia Gillard administration's new India initiative.