Analysis & Opinions - India in Transition

The Middle Powers' Congruence: India, France, and Nuclear Technology

Author:

Jayita Sarkar

| June 29, 2015

Note

This op-ed was reprinted by the Hindu BusinessLine on June 29, 2015, as "There's No Nuking Indo-French Ties."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France in April 2015 — his first visit to a European country — highlighted New Delhi's burgeoning ties with Paris, underlined India's attempts to diversify its defense purchases, and re-emphasized the congruence that has existed between the two countries during most of the Cold War. France has gradually emerged as a formidable technology supplier to India in all three strategic realms: defense, space, and nuclear energy. While it has neither the ability nor the ambition to replace the influence of the United States in the subcontinent, Paris is considered to be a credible player in New Delhi with respect to defense supplies, space technology, and nuclear reactor construction plans. India's vast market and its appetite for advanced strategic technology make it rather attractive to France....

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office

For Academic Citation: Sarkar, Jayita.“The Middle Powers' Congruence: India, France, and Nuclear Technology.” India in Transition, June 29, 2015.

The Author

Jayita Sarkar

Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy, International Security Program
Former Associate, Project on Managing the Atom (MTA), May 16–August 31, 2016; Former Postdoctoral Fellow, International Security Program (ISP)/MTA, September 1, 2015–May 15, 2016; Former Stanton Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow, 2014–2015

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