By Daryl G. Kimball
In an unprecedented move that will undermine the value of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the already beleaguered nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), the NSG reluctantly agreed Sept. 6 to exempt NPT holdout India from its guidelines that require comprehensive international safeguards as a condition of nuclear trade.
The decision is a nonproliferation disaster of historic proportions that will produce harm for decades to come. It severely erodes the credibility of global efforts to ensure that access to nuclear trade and technology is available only to those states that meet global nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament standards. India does not.
Click here to return to full article.
Unfinished Business for the NSG
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Agreements and cartels that discriminate are doomed for eventual destruction. Witness apartheid in South Africa.
Before 1914, South Africa discriminated against both native Blacks and (Asian) Indians. Gandhi protested, and in 1914 Jan Smuts agreed to lift many of the discriminatory laws against Indians (but not all). Discrimination against Blacks survived for another 70 years. Had Smuts not compromised, apartheid in South Africa would have gone much earlier.
Now witness the NPT and the NSG. Without this deal, nations such as France and Russia would have surreptitiously violated the NSG's terms. Russia supplied Tarapur's fuel for quite a while. The NSG could only pretend like nothing happened. By making nuclear trade with India legal and above board (with exclusions), the apartheid practised by the NSG has given itself perhaps another 70 years.
But somehow, Mother Nature always brings discrimination to an ignominous end. Be prepared to disarm completely or find several others arming themselves. The ACA should take up disarming everyone with the same zeal it showed on the India Nuclear deal.
Dear anonymous:
You are confusing history ... from my perspective, all states must meet the same nonproliferation and disarmament standards and if you were to take the time to peruse ACA's website, you would see that we are a vigorous critic of U.S. inaction on disarmament. As we have noted repeatedly, India has not met the standards expected of other nuclear-armed states, it misused nuclear technology transfered under peaceful auspices, and nuclear trade with India under the terms of the deal could mean the U.S. and other suppliers are indirectly assisting India's bomb program. Where is the "justice" in that?
Can someone please explain why some states who are signatories to NPT are allowed to test without any limitations and others are not?
This is the crux of the issue and no one seems to respond to this.
In the last weeks we are witness to both our interconnectedness globally and the vulnerability and volitility of our global econonmy. Destabilization can happen very quickly. At time of econonmic destabilization and the following fragility we need even stronger safeguards and policies regarding nuclear technology and supplies. This is not the time for international politics. We all need to express our support and expectations that the US close all loopholes and strengthen the NSG, not weaken it.
Post a Comment