The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill

Re:India Nuclear Deal–Lets Not Sacrifice Non-Proliferation Cause

by Calif. Dem. Rep. Barbara Lee - 07/06/06 11:51 AM ET

Saturday, July 1st, marked the 38th anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a treaty that will be rendered virtually meaningless if the proposed U.S. – India nuclear deal moves forward.Our country should be working to strengthen bilateral relations with India, but that effort should not come at the expense of nearly 40 years of international efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

Reversing decades of U.S. policy and tacitly allowing India’s military nuclear programs to proceed without international oversight will severely undermine the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. Our actions with regard to India will have broad-ranging implications on our efforts to hold Iran and North Korea to international standards.

By selectively violating our own commitment to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, we send the message that we will sacrifice international standards for non-proliferation when it suits our strategic interests. While there may be merits to the proposed deal with India, they are far outweighed by the prospect that China or Russia may follow our example.