Media reports covering the reactions of certain Congressmen earlier in the year portrayed a rather negative outlook for the US-India nuclear deal, signaling another battle between the White House and Congress for approval. But apparently giving equal time to both sides doesn’t equally represent the full scale of the situation, as the deal passed the House 359-68. I could hear the cheers in India all the way from here.

For those who voted against it, I have just a few words. You are retarded.

Perhaps the implications of this bill have not been fully realized by some, but without it, the future could look a lot different. Economies around the world are rapidly expanding, especially in countries such as India and China. Unfortunately for the United States, these two are very close to vital oil and natural gas reserves in the Middle East and Central Asia. Already the drive for these resource between America, India, Russia, and China has been underway for years, and it looks like the latter two have a leg up on the competition. One day, when these resources dry up, the scramble for their ownership will result in a world where, strategically, everyone is an enemy when it comes to energy.

This deal is about making sure this doesn’t happen. The United States and India are creating strong and trusting bonds of true cooperation that will hopefully last for years to come. But India needs energy, and so does the United States. When it comes down to it, both will look out for their respective national interests, and that could pit the two against each other. With increasing Russian control of gas pipelines and penetration by China rising fast, this is a region that the United States cannot afford to be locked out of. By giving India an alternative to these resources by providing it with everything it needs to produce all of the nuclear energy it needs. Do that and it won’t have to fiercely compete with the United States in the future. It’s really that simple.

There are concerns that India will now have all the nuclear material it needs for its nuclear arsenal, and this is true. But what really matters is if it will use them. This is the question that one must ask; the reasoning. Why would the Bush administration negotiate this deal with India and then outright reject any possibility of it with so-called ally Pakistan?

The fact is, India is a relatively stable democratic country that has proven its internal resiliency through and through. Pakistan, on the other hand, is a military dictatorship with a quickly growing radical Islamist population. Nuclear plants in its hands would certainly lead to disaster. This is the reasoning. There is not an inherent danger to allow India to have nuclear power, yet there is every strategic reason that it should.