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As envoys from around the world meet this month in New York to review the NPT, this important security system is mired in such discord that it is in danger of crumbling.
Whatever the flowery declarations between India and Pakistan, unless Pakistan’s internal structure changes, there’ll never be lasting peace.
One would think, with the end of the cold war, the global war against terrorism, and the high level of attention paid to proliferation, that NPT members would be poised to reaffirm the Treaty’s vital importance and take action to enhance it for the years ahead. Yet, it is now clear that the NPT is in crisis.
<SPAN class=storytext>The much hyped trip by General Pervez Musharraf to India has brought fresh promises of "confidence building measures" between India and Pakistan. </SPAN>
<FONT face=Garamond> <P>In an April 29<SUP>th</SUP> op-ed in <I>The Wall Street Journal</I>, Henry Sokolski and George Perkovich challenge Iran’s argument about its ‘inalienable’ right to enrich uranium under the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Citing the overall intent of the NPT to curb the spread of dangerous nuclear technology, Sokolski and Perkovich argue that the right of states to develop "peaceful nuclear energy" is not absolute and Iran’s stance that a state can legally acquire all nuclear technology up to but not including a complete nuclear weapon is a misinterpretation of the treaty. </P></FONT>
The third Arab Human Development Report, released last week, is unlikely to have as profound an effect as the first two such reports. Although the region is still changing, Arab confusion over a future agenda has vanished. The central question is no longer whether freedom and democracy represent legitimate goals of human development but rather how to promote and consolidate them.
India's foreign minister visited Washington last week and met with President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss a range of mutual interests, from countering China's strategic clout to promoting economic growth and resolving India-Pakistan tensions. Unfortunately, the Bush administration's obsession with Iran threatens to block a major initiative that could advance those goals.
<P>It is a good thing that the architect of Kargil now recognises that "war is not a solution to any problem". There is, however, no connection between General Musharraf's diagnosis of what ails Pakistan and the prescription he offers.</P>
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will arrive in Moscow on Tuesday, April 19th, 2005, for a two-day visit. According to official press release, Ms. Rice will be involved in preparations for the forthcoming meeting between American President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow during the May 9th V-Day celebrations.
An examination of the anti-Soviet Jihad in Afghanistan and the emergence of jihadi groups in Pakistan and Kashmir used by Pakistan to bolster is national identity against India.
What we have seen play out over the last few weeks in Kyrgyzstan is but the first scene of a lengthy drama that will dominate the Central Asian stage over the next few years. And we can only hope that in later acts, the action won't turn bloodier.
Junior Fellow Michael Beckley argues that a U.S. exit from Iraq is still years away.
The third Arab Human Development Report should be required reading for Bush administration officials and for anyone interested in promoting Middle East democracy. The report reveals a complete acceptance of democratic principles and a complete mistrust of the Bush administration's efforts to promote democracy.