US is the Main Hurdle in Curbing Nukes
Not only is the US responsible for encouraging (or tacitly permitting) rogue states like Israel and Pakistan to get the BOMB, as well as obstructing progress in places like North Korea and Iran, but Bush's own committment for smaller and better nukes threatens the global non-proliferation agenda alltogether.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States is sending the wrong signal to signatories of the global pact against nuclear weapons by backing out of previous arms control pledges, arms experts and diplomats said on Wednesday.
The 188 parties to the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty are near the end of a monthlong conference that participants said would almost certainly fail to agree on any steps to improve the pact aimed at halting the spread of nuclear arms.
"The chances are very slim," said Abdul Minty, head of South Africa's delegation, "There is a big divide ... The U.S. is developing new nuclear weapons and we want to know against whom."
Minty complimented U.S. officials for eventually permitting agenda items they would have preferred to ignore. But he said America's refusal to reaffirm its "unequivocal commitment" to disarmament was problematic for many treaty signatories.
Washington has been exploring the idea of developing smaller atomic weapons -- "mini nukes" or "bunker busters.".......
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States is sending the wrong signal to signatories of the global pact against nuclear weapons by backing out of previous arms control pledges, arms experts and diplomats said on Wednesday.
The 188 parties to the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty are near the end of a monthlong conference that participants said would almost certainly fail to agree on any steps to improve the pact aimed at halting the spread of nuclear arms.
"The chances are very slim," said Abdul Minty, head of South Africa's delegation, "There is a big divide ... The U.S. is developing new nuclear weapons and we want to know against whom."
Minty complimented U.S. officials for eventually permitting agenda items they would have preferred to ignore. But he said America's refusal to reaffirm its "unequivocal commitment" to disarmament was problematic for many treaty signatories.
Washington has been exploring the idea of developing smaller atomic weapons -- "mini nukes" or "bunker busters.".......
posted by leftside at
6:10 PM
2 Comments:
Peace through strength ... and superior firepower.
Maybe you can tell me Mark, how developing nukes that can fit in a suitcase contributes to global peace? Or perhaps how letting this rare monthlong conference on nuclear non-proliferation end in disarray helps our (correct) top priority of curbing WMDs in the world? It appears that the 2 hardheaded neo-con obsessions of protecting Israel from any sort of discussion on their stockpile, while devoting all our efforts to singling out Iran alone as a concern, are to blame. How is any country (particularly in the Middle East) supposed to take this seriously? So we now have no new measures to combat proliferation, nor reduce the numbers of Nukes in the world. But I am sure the neo-cons are celebrating another defeat of the UN and multilaterism.
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