The Bush Administration claims that the India nuclear deal will be a “net plus” for nonproliferation. But that argument doesn’t add up at all. How could a huge exemption for India from U.S nonproliferation laws and international norms be a “net plus” for nonproliferation?
Let’s talk about what this legislation really will do:
* It will allow India to dramatically increase its production of nuclear weapons by shipping India fuel for its civilian reactors, freeing up their entire supply of domestic uranium for use in weapons.
* It will throw fuel on a simmering nuclear arms race in Asia: We know that Pakistan will not allow a nuclear disparity to develop between itself and India, should India ramp up production of nuclear weapons.
* It will blow a hole in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
* It will reward India for decades of bad nuclear behavior.
* And it will send the wrong message to Iran and North Korea.
The President’s proposal to ship nukes to India is a terrible idea.