Going Nuclear

Post by BJ Dworak, Great Decisions student

Article

This article provides an interesting intersection in several of the topics we have discussed--special envoys, the Middle East/Persian Gulf, and even Russia. While the United States made great progress in its relations with Russia in the last week signing an agreement to reduce nuclear stockpiles in both countries, problems remain abound regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons. As the article indicates, no where is this situation more delicate than in Indian and Pakistan. There are great underlying tensions between both countries and despite President Obama expressing confidence in Pakistan's safeguarding of their nuclear weapons, it is well known that there are few institutional safeguards in Pakistan for the use of nuclear weapons. World leaders are currently gathering in Washington to discuss the role of nuclear weapons in the international realm. However, the issue of Pakistan and India is not on the agenda. This underscores the importance of a strong and capable special enjoy to deal with Af-Pak. Matter of fact, a single special envoy devoted to Pakistan might best suit US foreign policy. Regardless, it is important that the United States expends some diplomatic capital in ensuring that the nuclear situation does not get out of hand any where in the world, but especially in the volatile Middle East. If roadblocks to an agreement with Russia can be overcome, anything is possible.