Congress Fuels South Asian Nuclear Arms Race
Congress Fuels South Asian Nuclear Arms Race
As Congress is marching in lock step to approve the administration’s sweetheart deal that would allow India to rapidly ramp up its nuclear bomb production to about 50 new weapons each year, news comes that Pakistan is racing to match the Indian capability.
The Washington Post reports on new satellite photos that reveal construction of a plutonium production reactor that should enable Pakistan to punch out — surprise — 50 bombs a year.
It is not too late for Congress to stop this developing nuclear arms race in South Asia. All they have to do is approve an amendment that conditions the U.S.-India deal on an Indian agreement not to make any more material for weapons. This was part of the deal originally sought by Bush administration officials, but they caved in to India demands and dropped the idea.
Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) says, “The Bush Administration conceded on almost every major point in negotiating this agreement with India. Even worse, the Administration essentially ignored the concerns of its own nonproliferation experts, and kept Congress in the dark until after the agreement was concluded.”
He and other legislators are trying to get amendments to the deal that would enable the U.S. to expand cooperation with India without allowing India to go on a nuclear weapons binge. One amendment would require India to halt production of fissile material, the main component needed to make nuclear weapons, in exchange for greater nuclear cooperation with the United States. A second important amendment would prevent India from transferring nuclear enrichment technology to other countries.
The Arms Control Association has more.
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Will we ever be able to vote these fascist thugs out of office?
With electronic voting it seems like it will never happen.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:04 pmDoes US has the power or idea of stopping the Pakistan its construction of plutonium production reactor. India has the record of never attacking a country. Pakistan (or its supported terrorists) is a dictatorship which tried and still tries to occupy Kashmir on a daily basis. It is more very important for the world and asia to make sure Pakistan does not improve its war chest.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:11 pmCrazy
July 24th, 2006 at 6:13 pmThere’s no other way to put it.
These people in power (U.S. and abroad) are truly sick in the head.
Well, warlords need to eat, dont they?
July 24th, 2006 at 6:14 pmYou only build up an arsenal like that if your goal to total obliteration.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:16 pmAnd the only people who’d want total obliteration are f’in crazy!
#4 - LMFAO
July 24th, 2006 at 6:17 pmWarlords do have to eat, indeed…
the flesh of other people.
What LMFAO means? I was being sarcastic, by the way. I agree…just like governments, politicians, religious leaders and stupid people.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:20 pmAbout US nukes.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:23 pm50 Facts About U.S. Nuclear Weapons
Robert Jenkis is an indian disguised as a white person typical for indians to hide their identity but lets talk about the fact and not fiction;
India started nuclear arm race in south asia in 1972 by conducting a nuclear explosion.
India again tested nuclear experiement in 1998, Pakistan follwed after it was threatened by india.
India attacked east Pakistan now bangladesh (here goes india never attacked anyone argument).
India interfered in Sri lanka (tamils issues) till SL kicked india out.
India interferes, promotes and activley support terrorist activities in Nepal, bangladesh and Pakistan.
india occupies kashmir and according to UN needs to conduct a plebicite in that region.
india murders its own citizen to gain political gain. (read President Clinton visit to india where indian army slaughtered innocents Sikhs)
India is disaster and failed state to haapen we as an Americans shuould boycott indian products and nuclear deal
July 24th, 2006 at 6:27 pmI am not even going to touch jobs goging to this so called country.
Don’t worry Newt. The real WWIII is yet to come. Wait until India and Pakistan have a few hundred nukes under their belts and then we can get started.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:41 pmBush is doing a great job at helping countries get WMD. This is the payment for joining in the invasion of Iraq. Notice how the Bush Administration says Iran, Syria and North Korea have to follow the international law but Bush can do as he pleases.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:49 pmIn time if the US keeps this corrupt Administration another country will take over and the US will be in the back row looking on. We can all thank George W. Bush and his Administration and ourselves for letting him make this mess.
They should be addressing BOTH Pakistan & India’s nuke capability, not just one or the other.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:50 pmIt’s clear now that Archie Bunker was right after all. His solution to the spate of airline hijackings back in the 1970s, as he explained to the Meathead, was to hand out a gun to each person as they boarded the plane. This would ensure that if there was a hijacker on the plane he wouldn’t try anything because he knew everyone was carrying a gun. It appears the world may have to go the same route with newclear weapons.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:53 pmJohn Deer, probably you should take ENGLISH 001 for perschool kids and then you can post on these matters which is for elders to decide and I know the same language that you speak and only one kind people (or shall I say piglets) speak such language you know who. So pakistan should be treated like Iran for that matter north korea and should be asked to get rid of their nuclear weapons and this is the perfect time to do that and if they reject then US along with Int’l community should act if not destroy it.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:58 pmGlobal implication is that the world would be a better place without pakistan and its sponor of terrorism throughout the world. whether in kashmir, Afganistan, london, madrid or US it has roots in pakistan. and by destroying pakistan you can save millions.
John Deer, it wasn’t India who gave nuclear technology to Iran and North Korea. That was Pakistan. It wasn’t India who provided some of the financing for the 9-11 terrorists. That was Pakistan. Daniel Pearl wasn’t beheaded by Indians. He was beheaded by Pakistanis. Pakistan is a military dictatorship while India is the world’s largest democracy.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:09 pmJohn Deer: “I am not even going to touch jobs goging to this so called country.” - - Damn, I can’t find my English-John Deer/John Deer-English dictionary.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:13 pmWhat would Ghandi say about all of these nuclear weapons in India?
July 24th, 2006 at 7:27 pmThe only possible consequence to bush’s deal with India is an esscalation in the nuclear arms race. Pakistans response is a symptom of that. The whole thing doesn’t make any sense in the terms of making the world safer. It only makes sense when viewed as a boon to war-profiteers. Hopefully the Congress has the guts to stop the Indian half of the deal. I’m afraid we have stretched our influence to the end with any regards to slowing down Pakistan. At any rate, such a feat would require more sophisticated diplomacy than the bushites have demonstrated so far.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:35 pmby destroying pakistan you can save millions.
Comment by Premjith — July 24, 2006 @ 6:58 pm
Dang, you are obviously a member of the repugnut party. That is about the sickest post I have read today, but then again I avoid troll postings when I am able. As you should be able to see from what is happening in the middle east currently, war does not solve ANYTHING!!!! Destroying a race of individuals is not the answer. This kind of rhetoric does not help find an answer.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:37 pmWAR must be the answer.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:58 pmThat’s it! Bush is the Archie Bunker character incarnate!
July 24th, 2006 at 8:12 pmIt’s a good thing Bush doesn’t think too much because if he ever realized the contradictions in his words and actions, he could become schizophrenic.
Or is it too late?
Neopro,
July 24th, 2006 at 8:16 pmWherever he might be, Gandhi would not be happy today.
Where are the courageous leaders today - they sure aren’t available.
Anyone watching CNN right now? They just flashed a picture of a burning building in the ME with the graphic “APOCALYPSE SOON?” or some BS statement like that. When the heck did Paula Zahn go off the deep end?
July 24th, 2006 at 8:43 pmThey (CNN) just flashed a picture of a burning building in the ME with the graphic “APOCALYPSE SOON?†- - Bush, Cheney, Rummy, and Condi: The Four Whoresmen of the Apocalypse
July 24th, 2006 at 8:57 pmCan’t wait for all those mangos. Doing a heck of job, bushie.
July 24th, 2006 at 9:19 pmPakistan is a military dictatorship while India is the world’s largest democracy.
Comment by Bluedog49 — July 24, 2006 @ 7:09 pm
If thats true, it is a fine example of why democracies are good for nothing when people die like flies. India is one of the poorest countries in the world, no matter how many nukes they have or communication satellites.
July 24th, 2006 at 9:35 pmPremjith posted
John Deer, probably you should take ENGLISH 001 for perschool kids and then you can post on these matters which is for elders to decide and I know the same language that you speak and only one kind people (or shall I say piglets) speak such language you know who. So pakistan should be treated like Iran for that matter north korea and should be asked to get rid of their nuclear weapons and this is the perfect time to do that and if they reject then US along with Int’l community should act if not destroy it.
Um, Premjith, maybe you should take “ENGLISH 001 for perschool [sic] kids” before taking someone else to task over his use of the language. It seemed to me that John Deer’s English was no less imperfect than yours.
July 24th, 2006 at 10:08 pma foreign policy article on the idiocy of the bush crime family in giving india nukes…
July 24th, 2006 at 10:40 pmbush’s israeli branch using chemical weapons against lebanese civilians
July 24th, 2006 at 10:47 pmWar crimes are for terrorists.
-George W. Bush
Any chicks need a neck rub?
July 24th, 2006 at 11:04 pmActually Israel is not a state party to Protocol III.
And it’s interesting that the Lebanese president should be complaining about breaches of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, seeing as his country has not ratified any of its protocols.
July 24th, 2006 at 11:05 pmthank you for your informative note, cj! it is wrong, but, hey, you tried to stick up for your war-criminals, and i guess that is a ‘good thing’.
well, i guess someone ought to get olmert on the phone and tell him
israel is a party to convention and did not express any reservation regarding protocol iii.
lebanon’s failure to sign is irrelevant under international law; the obligation is upon the signatories and not upon others…
July 24th, 2006 at 11:18 pmhere is the link, if anyone is interested in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
July 24th, 2006 at 11:19 pmSorry James. Check your sources.
Here’s mine: the UN.
Israel is considered party to the Convention because it has ratified three of the five protocols (two is the minimum to be considered a state party). Protocol III was not one of the protocols Israel ratified.
July 24th, 2006 at 11:24 pmHere is a great video with Pat Buchanan, a conservative, slamming Israel’s reckless and heinous behavior. I was touched….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jFZDbDyinw
July 24th, 2006 at 11:45 pmAnd now that I checked, James, I noticed that Israel isn’t a party to the Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions either.
Source: the International Committee of the Red Cross.
I’m not saying that makes what Israel is doing OK, but it’s always better to be armed with the correct facts.
July 24th, 2006 at 11:46 pmWhats the point cj. Ha ha we get to burn civilians. Check the fine print.
July 24th, 2006 at 11:47 pmWhile we are on the topic of evil munitons: I don’t think anyone is raising enough hell about the US using depleted uranium bullets in Iraq.
my source is the icrc list of signators and their reservations, if any. i will admit that the document you sent does state that they are not ratifiers of protocol iii at the moment. but, it looks as if they were at one point. perhaps they followed the lead of the bush crime family and ‘unsigned’? i don’t know.
anyway, i can see why israel and the usa would not want to be a part of protocol iii.
its language is so radical:
if you can’t kill civilians with chemical weapons, what fun is a good invasion, eh, cj???
it is remarkable that israel and usa has such great defenders of their methods…please look at the burned children before you sleep tonight, and, i am certain you will feel quite proud of yourself! congratulations!
July 24th, 2006 at 11:50 pmwow…okay. thank you for the information. i was under the impression that israel was slightly more ’sane’, but, i am glad to know i can hate them with more fervor than before.
the president of the islamic republic of iran is making more sense…perhaps israel ought to be ‘moved’ to europe–or texas.
what a bunch of hypocritical, war-mongering, bastards–the olmert crime family has learned quite well from its american daddy…
July 24th, 2006 at 11:57 pmclearly, they are trying to kill everyone on the planet. wonder why?
July 25th, 2006 at 12:28 amThe article on Indian is from 6/18/06. Do you think Pakistan just started building this facility a month ago when they heard about Bush’s decision? Of course not. “Construction of the larger reactor at Khushab apparently began sometime in 2000.” Yes, this facility was under construction before Bush was ever in office, but that fact makes it impossible to lay all the blame on the Bush administration. Pakistan and India have been in arms race for decades. Neither has signed the Nonproliferation Treaty, so is there any reason to believe a commitment from India to halt nuclear development would lead Pakistan to do anything but press its advantage?
July 25th, 2006 at 1:02 amHmmm. Arms race. 50 for 50. Good logic. Minor point, though:
The pakistani reactor construction was started in 2000, and everybody in the US government and the Indian government knows about it - see reaction of indian and US government sources. Unless they had some kind of a time machine to know about a nuclear deal in 2005/2006, they could not have initiated plans for the reactor at that time for the 50-50 logic!
Further, how on holy earth does anybody think that India is gonna make more weapons by bringing ~70% of their current reactors under IAEA, and make them civilian reactors??
July 25th, 2006 at 1:08 amDoes the GOP Congress actually do anything correctly in the world? Nope, just like Bush butt, the GOP members in DC mess up everything and cause friction throughout the entire world!
July 25th, 2006 at 1:54 amGWB himself made the deal with India to trade nuclear technology for MANGOS! GWB has refused to sign onto the Non-Proliferation Treaty as well. And BushCo just sold Pakistan a bunch of F16 fighter jets, but refused to sell them any nuclear technology. And Congress wasn’t exactly thrilled by the deal GWB made with India, because they didn’t know about it beforehand. Is there ANYTHING that BushCo can’t make worse? It is really amazing how destructive they are in everything they do. And they have an endless array of things they want to get involved in. The next Administration will have to work 24/7, just to scratch the surface, we may never get to the bottom of their compost heap. Republicans should have to do all of the ‘grunt’ work. Be the ‘First Responders’, to ‘disaster areas’ whether they are from that State, or not. And they should have to stay there, sleep in a tent, eat ‘mre’s, whatever, until the basic needs of the people are met. Basically do every thing they haven’t done so far, like their jobs. They have forgotten what they are there to do.
July 25th, 2006 at 5:47 amWhy do folks seem unhappy about this? Isn’t the US congress just acting in the best economic interests of its citizens by encouraging fast growing economies to increase their proportion of defence spending? And surely it is safer in the interests of the world to have a nuclear arms race between India (which is too divided to decide to go nuke someone) and Pakistan (on whose US still has quite a big influence, and who are loyal customer of US in the arms market) than implusive decision-makers in the middle east motivated by religion? Moreover, a tension in South Asia will have the added benefit of making China nervous (and willing to divert more attention/spending towards defence). So overall, a very prudent policy. Stop whining folks…after all, every bit of such effort counts towards making US prosperous (and keeping oil prices lower than anywhere else in the world).
As for the world gettng more dangerous with another arms race…well, it’s too far away in space and time to affect us, isn’t it? Anyway, we don’t believe in global warming…so why care about nuclear fallout in the farthest populated part of the world? And if there is any, I’m sure that it’ll only affect crazy left wing liberals who refused to say ‘under God’ in school
July 25th, 2006 at 5:59 amGRAPHIC VIDEO - Lebanese Doctor Says ‘Phosphorus Weapons’ Cause Suffering
CNN video correspondent, Karl Penhaul, follows a family that had been mistakenly caught in an Israeli air strike. The doctor treating the family says that there is phosphorus in the weapons that cause extremely painful burns on it’s victims.
———————————————————
Lebanon president says Israel uses phosphorous arms
PARIS, July 24 (Reuters) - Lebanon’s president accused Israel on Monday of using phosphorous bombs in its 13-day offensive and urged the United Nations to demand an immediate ceasefire.
“According to the Geneva Convention, when they use phosphorous bombs and laser bombs, is that allowed against civilians and children?” President Emile Lahoud asked on France’s RFI radio.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said arms used in Lebanon did not contravene international norms.
July 25th, 2006 at 6:16 amOutcry as border guards seize British ‘dirty bomb’ lorry heading for Iran
Border guards seized a British lorry on its way to make a delivery to the Iranian military - after discovering it was packed with radioactive material that could be used to build a dirty bomb.
The lorry set off from Kent on its way to Tehran but was stopped by officials at a checkpoint on Bulgaria’s northernborder with Romania after a scanner indicated radiation levels 200 times above normal.
The lorry was impounded and the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NPA) was called out.
On board they found ten lead-lined boxes addressed to the Iranian Ministry of Defence. Inside each box was a soil-testing device, containing highly dangerous quantities of radioactive caesium 137 and americium-beryllium.
July 25th, 2006 at 6:21 amWhats wrong with India and Pakistan getting more nukes?
July 25th, 2006 at 6:57 amThe USA has more nukes than anyone else…who gives them the right to tell others they cant have nukes.
Either the USA gets rid of all its nukes or it stops lecturing others about nukes.
If nukes are good for America why are they not good for Pakistan or India?
The USA GOP is searching new allies, once the neocons in charge have realized that their imperialistic and anti UN policies aren’t very popular to their traditional inconditional allies in Europe and Japan, botching their alliances and raising a popular disgust toward the USA. Someone in the State Departament (of the few who know how to look a world map) decided to go for the biggest country, not being the UE (the people here is very disgusted with the international PNAC adventures), Russia (although reconverted to capitalism from communism, they hate the guts of the USA and want to recover the status of superpotence), China (the biggest communist country in the world, owner of the greatest share of USA debt, with a skyrocketing economy, 10% increase in a quarter, and with more diplomacy and policy tradition in his little finger than the USA in his whole history)…
But some day, the USA will discover that a country with a bilion people, rising economy, long history, and his own goals and interests is not the lackey of the USA and, when it suits its own benefit, will let aside the USA, even betraying them.
But OK, Bush loves his grandstanding and the one of the neocon USA. Well, enjoy it while it lasts. You will discover that Europeans or Zeropeans, in the words of IRI, aren’t so disgusting as allies.
July 25th, 2006 at 8:24 amWow!! I definitely touched a nerve there isn’t it? See the problem is I am not a computer programmer who sits in front of a computer type in codes all day so my typing skills are not great.
July 25th, 2006 at 10:01 amWell india is about get a rude awakening from our state dept when they are going to release list of countries that supported and provided technical help to Iran and guess what which country is going to be on the top? india or may call it as my pak friend normally refer to this country bha RAT.
I give humankind about fifty more years max. I don’t know if it will be nukes or some synthetic-virus pandemic or what, but how in the world are we suddenly gonna grow up at the last moment and save ourselves from our own negligence and destructiveness? We act like precocious little kids, able to do technological wonders, yet unable to play together without bloodying each other’s nose. Dropping our religious/political/cultural delusions (all those things that make us feel so different from one another) would go a long way, but that would be like making the scared little kid ditch his security blanket. Nope, we’ll hug that blanket till the end, even as we suffocate in its folds. The Last One
July 26th, 2006 at 10:30 am[…] Congress Fuels South Asian Nuclear Arms Race Think Progress, DC - Jul 24, 2006 are trying to get amendments to the deal that would enable the US to expand cooperation with India without allowing India to go on a nuclear weapons binge. […]
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