• Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Middle East logoCarnegie lettermark logo
LebanonIran
{
  "authors": [],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "SAP",
  "programs": [
    "South Asia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "South Asia",
    "India"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Policy",
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

Other

Ashley J. Tellis: Key Figure in the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal

Link Copied
Published on Mar 3, 2006

President Bush, on his first visit to India, sealed the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal. Carnegie Senior Associate Ashley J. Tellis has been widely recognized as one of the core individuals who made this deal possible. Tellis was drafted in advance of President Bush's visit to India to serve as a senior advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, R. Nicholas Burns. In this position, Tellis provided support of various State Department activities relating to U.S.-Indian relations and brought his unique understanding of the establishments in New Delhi and Washington to finalize the deal.

In an interview with rediff-India Abroad R. Nicholas Burns said,

"Ashley has worked for the United States government at several junctures -- at the White House staff as well as in New Delhi -- and he knows more about India's nuclear program than any other living American. [And so, I wanted to...] I have great respect for him, for his creativity and ingenuity and also for his knowledge and technical expertise, and I felt that he would be a great addition to our staff and our delegation, and he was. He was instrumental in getting a decision."

Click below to read more about Tellis' role in the historic U.S.-India Nuclear Deal: 

People Behind  the Deal (Times of India, March 3, 2006)

Those Who Made the Deal Happen (Indian Express, March 4, 2006)
Click on the right to access article

All the PM's Men (Hindustan Times, March 5, 2006)
Click on the right to access article 

Foreign PolicyNuclear PolicySouth AsiaIndia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

  • people watching smoke rising at sunrise from rooftops
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Bombing Campaigns Do Not Bring About Democracy. Nor Does Regime Change Without a Plan.

    Just look at Iraq in 1991.

      Marwan Muasher

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Iran and the New Geopolitical Moment

    A coalition of states is seeking to avert a U.S. attack, and Israel is in the forefront of their mind.

      Michael Young

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Baku Proceeds With Caution as Ethnic Azeris Join Protests in Neighboring Iran

    Baku may allow radical nationalists to publicly discuss “reunification” with Azeri Iranians, but the president and key officials prefer not to comment publicly on the protests in Iran.

      Bashir Kitachaev

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Iran’s Woes Aren’t Only Domestic

    The country’s leadership is increasingly uneasy about multiple challenges from the Levant to the South Caucasus.

      Armenak Tokmajyan

  • A municipal employee raises the US flag among those of other nations in Sharm el-Sheikh, as the Egyptian Red Sea resort town gets ready to receive international leaders, following a Gaza ceasefire agreement, on October 11, 2025.
    Article
    The Tragedy of Middle Eastern Politics

    The countries of the region have engaged in sustained competition that has tested their capacities and limitations, while resisting domination by rivals. Can a more stable order emerge from this maelstrom, and what would it require?

      • Mohamed Ali Adraoui

      Hamza Meddeb, Mohamed Ali Adraoui

Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Carnegie Middle East logo, white
  • Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.