Speaking of insanity, we have former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft:

I am concerned about a trend that we see reflected in the US-India nuclear deal where we try to address proliferation risks by assessing the character of regimes and governments.

But no treaty is valid without assessing the character of a regime. This is exactly what the Clinton administration did with North Korea. They knew a treaty signed by North Korea was not worth the paper it was written on, but decided to declare victory and avert their eyes while the North Koreans continued their weapons program.

For example, India and Iran are two completely different nations. One is a fully functioning democracy emerging as an economic and military power with significant ties to the US. Iran is run by radical Islamic clerics and religious madmen. Which is more likely to honor its treaty obligations?

What is needed is an international guarantor so countries that lack an indigenous fuel-enrichment cycle would always have access to nuclear fuel.

Mr. Scowcroft, does the President of Iran sound like he can be bribed or that he really cares about the peaceful uses of nuclear technology?

“We won’t hold talks with anyone about the right of the Iranian nation (to enrich uranium), and no one has the right to retreat, even one iota,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

“Our answer to those who are angry about Iran achieving the full nuclear fuel cycle is just one phrase. We say: ‘Be angry at us and die of this anger,’” Ahmadinejad said.

Then we have this pearl of wisdom:

Only by creating an international regime - and applying it without exception, across the board - can we hope to guarantee that all countries can enjoy the benefits of nuclear energy without risking the spread of the world’s deadliest weapons.

Nobody is going to cheat because everyone will respect the fact they are being treated “equally”? And not only that, but we are going to give them nuclear fuel and subsidize purchases for countries that can’t afford it? Again, a treaty is only as valid as the word of the people who sign it. Would you leave your house unlocked at night assuming everyone is honest and truthful? This is a sure recipe for further proliferation.

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