No Nukes For You!
Hot on the heels of a nuclear deal with India, President Bush has bluntly told President Pervez Musharraf that no similar deal will be made for Pakistan. "I explained that Pakistan and India are different countries with different needs and different histories," Bush told reporters. "So as we proceed forward, our strategy will take in effect those well-known differences.” How kind of Bush to explain to the Pakistanis what their real needs are.
One can imagine what differences between Pakistan and India Bush had in mind. Bush no doubt took note of the Pakistani people's cool reception of him, and perhaps did not refrain from uttering the name of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. But the insufficiently spirited crack-down on extremists seems to have been on the top of the agenda. In other words, the Pakistanis are insufficiently willing to conform to Bush’s wishes.
But whatever the reasons given, it is not surprising that Pakistan went home with nothing. When all is said and done, Bush could not help but present a double-standard similar to the one presented toward Iran. Like freedom of speech, ‘non-proliferation’ is the sign under which nuclear power becomes not a sovereign right but a privilege of power, extended to those whom nuclear monopolists decide meet the criteria of good behavior.
The inequality of the non-proliferation regime has been a long-standing problem in international relations. The only twist to it now is its excessive arbitrariness. What inspired Bush now, of all times, to make a nuclear deal with India? Not to mention, it was only last year that Bush waived democracy-related restrictions on aid to Pakistan because Musharraf was so cooperative. In fact, Musharraf was something of a pariah until Bush rehabilitated him post 9-11 as a US ally in the war on terror. All of the sudden, Bush has decided to put him in his place. While during the Cold War dictators could count on long-term support, Bush seems to have more trouble figuring out who his friends and who his enemies are.
This bodes poorly for Pakistani politics, and global politics generally. The only thing worse than accommodating internal politics to an imperial power, is trying to placate a power that isn’t sure what it wants.
One can imagine what differences between Pakistan and India Bush had in mind. Bush no doubt took note of the Pakistani people's cool reception of him, and perhaps did not refrain from uttering the name of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. But the insufficiently spirited crack-down on extremists seems to have been on the top of the agenda. In other words, the Pakistanis are insufficiently willing to conform to Bush’s wishes.
But whatever the reasons given, it is not surprising that Pakistan went home with nothing. When all is said and done, Bush could not help but present a double-standard similar to the one presented toward Iran. Like freedom of speech, ‘non-proliferation’ is the sign under which nuclear power becomes not a sovereign right but a privilege of power, extended to those whom nuclear monopolists decide meet the criteria of good behavior.
The inequality of the non-proliferation regime has been a long-standing problem in international relations. The only twist to it now is its excessive arbitrariness. What inspired Bush now, of all times, to make a nuclear deal with India? Not to mention, it was only last year that Bush waived democracy-related restrictions on aid to Pakistan because Musharraf was so cooperative. In fact, Musharraf was something of a pariah until Bush rehabilitated him post 9-11 as a US ally in the war on terror. All of the sudden, Bush has decided to put him in his place. While during the Cold War dictators could count on long-term support, Bush seems to have more trouble figuring out who his friends and who his enemies are.
This bodes poorly for Pakistani politics, and global politics generally. The only thing worse than accommodating internal politics to an imperial power, is trying to placate a power that isn’t sure what it wants.
2 Comments:
This is after the administration just a couple of years ago sold Pakistan jet fighters that could deliver nuclear weapons. This is only going to aggravate Indian/Pakistani tensions. I have yet to see a foreign policy from the Bush administration that doesn’t increase global tensions.
This is after the administration just a couple of years ago sold Pakistan jet fighters that could deliver nuclear weapons. This is only going to aggravate Indian/Pakistani tensions. I have yet to see a foreign policy from the Bush administration that doesn’t increase global tensions.
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