No American debate can be complete without the think tanks. These think tanks, which had policy experts like former US ambassadors to India Frank Wisner, Thomas Pickering and Richard Celeste, former defence secretary William Cohen and Karl Inderfurth, former assistant secretary of state for South Asia, and leading academics like Harold Gould of the University of Virginia, wrote columns, letters to lawmakers highlighting clearly the pros and cons of the deal.

They also organised debates and seminars, discussing threadbare the nuances of the deal.

They roped in administration officials to brief and allay the fears and doubts of the non-proliferation lobby. Though they are off the limelight and were not major decision makers in any official capacity, the role these brains played was very crucial for the nuclear deal.

Image: 1: Frank Wiser, 2: Ashley Tellis, 3: Karl Inderfurth, 4: Walter Anderson, 5: Stephen Cohen, 6: Tom Pickering Also read: US Senate's N-Bill facilitates spy operations

Back

|

Start