India's ambivalent Anglosphere identity and the politics of international uranium sales

Abstract

The concept of the ‘Anglosphere’ has grown in political discourse in the past decade, though exactly what defines this space is contested. James Bennett has defined it as a group of states who are tied together on the basis of shared tradition, laws, liberty and language, yet does not discuss India and places it firmly on the outside of his hierarchy. Srdjan Vucetic has critiqued such approaches, arguing that the Anglosphere is based on a racialized identity, accounting for why India has largely been excluded. This paper uses the issue of uranium sales to investigate the extent to which India identifies with the Anglosphere, how it is perceived within this space, and how this ideational issue has shaped India’s postcolonial relationships with actors more comfortable with an Anglosphere identity. Whether or not to trust India with nuclear material has been mulled over by the UK, the US, Australia and Canada since India first showed interest in developing nuclear power plants, whilst refusing to sign NPT. All have now begun engaging with India as legitimate nuclear power. It is argued that India holds an ambivalent Anglosphere identity which has been emphasized on matters of nuclear cooperation and that this has enabled the recent growth in India-Anglosphere relations.