NP - Bush set to open nuclear test floodgates

[David Morris]

http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/bush/story/0,7369,520091,00.html

Bush set to open nuclear test floodgates
Wednesday July 11, 2001

For nine years, the US has stuck to a moratorium on testing nuclear weapons. 
But there are ominous signs that the Bush administration is setting the 
stage for a resumption of nuclear tests.
In the clearest sign yet that the US is lurching further towards 
international irresponsibility, the administration has commissioned a study 
on how quickly nuclear test sites in the Nevada desert could be returned to 
action.

American officials insist that for the time being, the US has "no plans" to 
break the moratorium on nuclear tests. But the readiness review of the 
Nevada test site and the administration's disdain for the comprehensive test 
ban treaty (CTBT) all point unmistakably to a renewal of testing.

Expect the floodgates to open once the US starts testing.

While America showed restraint, there was huge moral pressure on other 
states to hold back. When India and Pakistan conducted tit-for-tat nuclear 
weapons tests in 1998, their decision earned international opprobrium. The 
US was among those who condemned the two regional rivals.

But once Washington starts testing, it will no longer be able to claim the 
moral high ground and others will invariably follow its lead, including 
Russia and China.


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