India missile test fails to draw ire

NEW DELHI -- India's successful test of a powerful missile that can carry nuclear weapons to Beijing caused barely a ripple, even in China, just days after North Korea was globally vilified for a failed rocket launch.

The vastly different responses show the world has grown to accept India as a responsible and stable nuclear power, while shunning North Korea.

"It's not the spear, but who holds the spear that matters," said Rahul Bedi, a defense analyst in India. "North Korea is a . . . pariah country. Its record of breaking nuclear agreements is well known. India has emerged in that sense as a fairly responsible country."

The muted response to yesterday morning's test underscores how far India has come in gaining acceptance for its nuclear program. After India tested its first nuclear bomb in 1974, the United States put it under sanctions for a quarter century. But last decade, those sanctions were removed and in 2008 the United States ratified a landmark deal to allow civilian nuclear trade that effectively accepted India as a nuclear nation.

The Agni-V missile, with a range of 3,100 miles, requires a battery of tests and must clear other bureaucratic hurdles before it can be inducted into India's arsenal in a few years. -- AP