Since India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), it has every right to exercise its power as a sovereign nation and address its security concerns, he said while delivering the fourth S L Kirloskar Memorial lecture in the city today. He said, ``America is certainly a major power in the world but it is not the unilateral power.''

``To think America is a giant and can put you down is absolutely wrong,'' remarked the former bureaucrat adding that centres of power in the US were no longer confined to the White House and Pentagon alone.

Trade and commerce and ethnic diaspora are the areas which have emerged as strong forces to reckon with in the US decision-making process, he said. India should take into consideration these factors and devise its strategy accordingly, he added.

As the Chinese and Israeli diaspora have been successfully bending the US decisions in their favours, the Indians, commanding an appreciable force in the US, should strengthen the India-friendly platform in America, he said.

Underlining the importance of Indo-US relations, Dr. Hussain said, ``It is extremely necessary to engage US in discussions and convince it that the developments in India were not against the interests of US.'' In the present scenario it was more in the interests of India to have cordial relations with the US than for America itself, he pointed out.

``For this purpose let India speak in one voice which is more convincing,'' he said while appealing for a unified stand over the issue.

Dr. Hussain described the strong American reaction to India's nuclear tests as more out of anguish than for the event itself in isolation. By exploding nuclear bombs, India has shattered the American strategy of maintaining the status quo of intrinsic balance in the three blocks of Eurasia, USSR and China and the unreasonably strong US reaction was mainly due to this reason, he remarked.

The lecture was organised by Centre for Advanced Strategic Studies (CASS).