DATE=05/27/98
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-10735
TITLE=REACTION CONTINUES TO INDIA'S NUCLEAR TESTS
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: NO RECENT EVENT HAS RECEIVED AS MUCH PRESS ATTENTION AS
THIS MONTH'S NUCLEAR TESTS BY INDIA. IN THE UNITED STATES,
REACTION CONTINUES TO APPEAR MANY DAYS AFTER THE FIVE EXPLOSIONS
ON MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY, THE 11TH AND 13TH OF MAY.
WE WELCOME ____________________ NOW, WITH SAMPLES OF ADDITIONAL
REACTION TO THE EXPLOSIONS, AND WHAT ACTIONS ARE LIKELY TO COME
IN THEIR WAKE AS REGARDS INDIA'S LONG-TIME, REGIONAL ADVERSARIES:
PAKISTAN AND CHINA.
TEXT: AMERICAN EDITORIAL WRITERS AND VARIOUS EXPERTS ARE WORRIED
ABOUT A NEW, NUCLEAR ARMS RACE IN SOUTH ASIA. PAKISTAN IS
FEELING PRESSURE TO TEST ITS OWN NUCLEAR BOMB, AND THERE IS A
POSSIBILITY THAT CHINA MAY RESUME NUCLEAR TESTING.
OTHER COMMENTATORS POINT OUT THAT SEVERAL OTHER NATIONS ARE
THOUGHT TO BE WHAT IS CALLED "NUCLEAR CAPABLE," THAT IS, ABLE TO
PRODUCE A BOMB ON SHORT NOTICE. THEY INCLUDE ISRAEL, BRAZIL,
SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN AND POSSIBLY ARGENTINA, AMONG OTHERS. SOME
WRITERS SUGGEST ONE EFFECT OF THE INDIAN TEST WILL BE TO GOAD
THESE OTHER EMERGING NUCLEAR POWERS TO TEST THEIR OWN BOMB.
AND NOT A FEW NOTE THE IRONY THAT WHILE THE UNITED STATES IS
PRESSURING PAKISTAN TO REFRAIN FROM TESTING, ON GROUNDS THAT SUCH
AN EXPERIMENT WOULD EXPAND THE WORLD'S NUCLEAR TROUBLES, THE U-S
ITSELF HAS STILL FAILED TO RATIFY THE COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN
TREATY.
WE BEGIN OUR MEDIA SAMPLING WITH "THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE"
WHICH RAN A COLUMN BY DIPAK GUPTA, A PROFESSOR OF PEACE STUDIES
AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY, WHO SAYS THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF
THE BLASTS WAS POLITICAL.
VOICE: ..... THE SECOND MOST POPULOUS NATION ON EARTH WITH THE
SEVENTH-LARGEST ECONOMY WANTS TO COMMUNICATE ITS
IMPORTANCE. ..... SECOND, THE EXPLOSIONS ONLY POINT TO
THE INTERNAL WEAKNESS OF THE B-J-P GOVERNMENT. THE
DEMONSTRATION OF MACHO-NATIONALISM DOES WONDERS FOR A
SHAKY POLITICAL PARTY IN POWER. THE ** TIMES **
[ITALICS FOR NAME OF A PUBLICATION] OF INDIA POLL SHOWS
THAT MORE THAN 91 PERCENT OF INDIAN CITIZENS APPROVE THE
ACT. THIRD, INDIA'S DECISION WAS PARTLY THE RESULT OF
THE THREAT - - MILITARY AND HEGEMONIC - - THAT IT
FEELS FROM CHINA. WHILE THE UNITED STATES HAS SO FAR
BEEN ABLE TO STOP PAKISTAN FROM TAKING THE LAST STEP IN
CONSTRUCTION THE BOMB, IT HAS FAILED TO EXERT ANY
INFLUENCE OVER CHINA. ..... AS THE CRIES FOR SANCTIONS
AGAINST INDIA RISE, THE WEST'S INDIGNATION MUST BE
PROPORTIONAL TO ITS POLITICAL PURPOSE. WHEN FRANCE
DECIDED TO TEST ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS, REACTIONS WERE
RELATIVELY MUTED. WITH INDIA, IT IS A BIT MORE
STRIDENT. /// OPT /// ..... FINALLY, WE CAN ASK HOW THE
WORLD HAS CHANGED AS A RESULT OF INDIA'S ACTION. .....
IT IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT ITS ACTIONS DID NOT MAKE THE
WORLD A SAFER PLACE. /// END OPT ///
TEXT: FOR ANOTHER VIEW, WE TURN TO TONY SNOW, EDITORIAL WRITER
AND WASHINGTON COLUMNIST FOR "THE DETROIT NEWS" WHO SAYS THE
INDIAN NUCLEAR
TESTS SHOULD OPEN THE EYES OF U-S LEADERS TO THE FOLLY OF THEIR
ANTI-NUCLEAR POLICY.
VOICE: THE UNITED STATES IN RECENT YEARS HAS EMBRACED THE
NOTION THAT WE CAN PACIFY THE WORLD JUST BY DRAFTING
LAWS. THE NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION PREVENTION ACT
ENSHRINES THAT THEORY BY THREATENING TO STARVE DIRT-BALL
[EVIL] COUNTRIES THAT TRY TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN NUKES.
...... THE ONLY PROBLEM IS, WE DON'T TAKE THE LAW
SERIOUSLY. ..... FRANCE CONDUCTED 'FINAL' NUCLEAR TESTS
IN 1995, ALSO IN VIOLATION OF THE TREATY. AND CHINA HAS
BEEN RUNNING A GLOBAL BAZAAR IN NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY.
....... IN EXCHANGE, WE HAVE SENT REBUKES THAT LOOK LIKE
LOVE LETTERS COMPARED TO THE STUFF THE WHITE HOUSE
COMPOSES ABOUT [WHITEWATER SPECIAL COUNSEL] KENNETH
STARR. ......
THE POINT IS, THE STUFF IS OUT THERE, AND NOBODY HAS THE
MEANS TO MICROMANAGE IT. ..... IN OTHER WORDS, THE RACE
IS ON.
TEXT: WITH ALL THIS TALK OF NEWLY EMERGING NUCLEAR NATIONS, WHO
ALSO HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO BUILD GLOBE-CIRCLING ROCKETS TO
DELIVER THESE BOMBS, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL'" IS CASTIGATING
THE SENATE FOR NOT LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NATION'S PROTECTION FROM
THIS NEW DANGER.
VOICE: IN A WEEK FRAUGHT WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR WORLD SECURITY,
THE EVENT LIKELY TO PROVE MOST DAMAGING TO THE NATIONAL
SECURITY OF THE U-S MAINLAND WASN'T INDIA'S NUCLEAR
TESTS. NOR NORTH KOREA'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT IS IS
WALKING OUT OF ITS NUCLEAR DEAL WITH THE U-S. NOR
REPORTS THAT PRESIDENT CLINTON MAY HAVE TRADED CHINA
SENSITIVE SPACE TECHNOLOGY IN EXCHANGE FOR CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTIONS. THE EVENT FUTURE GENERATIONS MAY RUE
MOST WAS A SENATE VOTE TO BLOCK A BIPARTISAN BILL
CALLING FOR THE DEPLOYMENT OF A NATIONAL MISSILE-DEFENSE
SYSTEM. THAT IS, THE KIND OF MISSILES CHINA HAS AND ON
RECENT EVIDENCE, A LOT OF OTHER NATIONS WOULD LIKE TO
HAVE, TOO. ..... IF THE REPUBLICANS KEEP ON ELEVATING
THE ISSUE, THE VOTERS WILL SOON HAVE A CLEAR,
VOTING-ISSUE PICTURE OF WHICH PARTY IS PREPARED TO
DEFEND THE NATION AGAINST MISSILES AND WHICH [NOT
STATED, BUT UNDERSTOOD: "PARTY"] SAYS A TREATY SIGNED IN
1972 [THE ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE TREATY WITH THE SOVIET
UNION] ** FORBIDDING ** DEFENSES IS ALL WE'LL EVER
NEED.
TEXT: LASTLY, "THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS" IS CALLING FOR
SANCTIONS, BUT VERY, VERY TARGETED SANCTIONS, NEITHER
"TOO HARSH OR TOO LAX" AGAINST INDIA.
VOICE: THE BEST RESPONSE TO HINDU NATIONALISM'S LATEST ACT OF
GROSS SELF-INDULGENCE REQUIRES ..... SANCTIONS .... THAT
ARE CAREFULLY CALIBRATED, AS OPPOSED TO BEING TOO HARSH
OR TOO LAX. AFTER THE TOOTHLESS CONDEMNATION OF INDIA'S
NUCLEAR TEST BY LEADERS OF THE WORLD'S GREAT INDUSTRIAL
DEMOCRACIES, IT'S UP TO WASHINGTON TO TAKE THE
INITIATIVE. /// OPT /// INDIA IS A HUGE DEMOCRATIC
COUNTRY OF ONE BILLION PEOPLE THAT SHOULD NEITHER BE
ISOLATED NOR IGNORED. IMPOSING MASSIVE SANCTIONS NOW
COULD BE ESPECIALLY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE IF DOING SO
WORSENED THE ASIAN FINANCIAL CRISIS. A FAR BETTER
APPROACH IS TO SINGLE OUT THE SPECIFIC PROBLEM, WORK TO
PREVENT THE EXPANSION OF INDIA'S NUCLEAR CAPACITY AND
APPEAL TO A PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITION OF PEACE THAT IS THE
TRUE SOURCE OF INDIA'S GREATNESS IN THE MODERN WORLD.
/// END OPT ///
TEXT: WITH THAT SUGGESTION, WE CONCLUDE THIS U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
ON ADDITIONAL REACTION TO INDIA'S NUCLEAR TEST EXPLOSIONS EARLIER
THIS MONTH.
NEB/ANG/JO
27-May-98 4:14 PM EDT (2014 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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