With uncertainties on the Indo-US nuclear deal continuing, an influential newspaper in Washington has warned that the failure of India to seal the accord will force the next administration to ‘think twice before trying anything like it’. In its editorial, "Can India say Yes?: New Delhi Comes to a Cross Roads over Nuclear Cooperation with the United States", The Washington Post has praised India's ‘vibrant democracy where the people's elected representatives across the spectrum have a right to be heard and to influence policy’. "But if New Delhi's politicians cannot find a way to say 'yes' to such a clearly advantageous agreement with a natural ally, the next US administration, no doubt, will think twice before trying anything like it," the leading US daily warned. It said even as the ruling Congress Party and the Communists are scheduled to meet today for one last round of negotiation, "prospects for an agreement are bleak." "And there might not be time to get the accord through this US Congress, even if the Communists unexpectedly back down - or if Mr Singh (Prime Minister) decides that sticking to the deal is worth the risks of a new election, as some recent reports from New Delhi suggest he will," The Post warned. "The problem is that India's old-style domestic politics lags behind its new international opportunities," it said.
