UPSC Prelims 2018 · Question 7 of 99

UPSC Prelims 2018 question on Nuclear Suppliers Group

What is/are the consequence/consequences of a country becoming a member of the 'Nuclear Suppliers Group'?

1. It will have access to the latest and most efficient nuclear technologies.

2. It automatically becomes a member of the 'Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)'.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Verdict

Only statement 1 is correct, so the answer is (a) 1 only.

Statement by statement

Statement 1 is CORRECT. The NSG is essentially a traders' cartel controlling nuclear commerce, and membership gives access to state of the art technology held by member countries, from medical uses to building power plants. Even after the one time waiver of 2008, India remains outside the group and can still be denied several categories of technology.

Statement 2 is INCORRECT. NSG membership does not automatically confer NPT membership. India's own position proves it: India has signed neither the NPT nor the CTBT, yet continues to seek NSG membership.

Source

Nuclear Suppliers Group participants list, and Business Standard reporting on India's NSG bid.

How to crack it

An export control cartel and a disarmament treaty are different species of instrument, so membership of one cannot automatically create membership of the other. Treat the word automatically as a red flag whenever a statement cascades one body's membership into another's, because international regimes almost never work that way. India's own status is the ready made counter example.

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