Pakistan, Congress, and the nonproliferation challenge
On September 30, with the end of the 1987 fiscal year, US aid to Pakistan officially came to a halt. Though aid previously authorized and in the pipeline will continue to flow for some time, new economic assistance and military sales credits cannot be granted without further legislation, despite Pakistan's key role in supporting antigovernment Afghan guerrillas. The reason for the cutoff is that Pakistan has continued to be in violation of US restrictions on foreign aid to nations that are actively developing nuclear weapons. Congress had given the President the authority to waive some of those restrictions on grounds of US national interest. The situation facing Congress regarding aid to Pakistan and nuclear nonproliferation presents an extraordinarily rich and fascinating illustration of the dilemmas involved in legislating in this field. The Pakistani case also presents, more than any other current case, the greatest near-term risk of actual proliferation. This article, therefore, discusses the Pakistan proliferation problem and how the US Congress has attempted to deal with it. It explains the existing US laws on this subject, comments on pending new legislation relating to Pakistan, and assesses prospects for progress toward mutual restraint by India and Pakistan.
- OSTI ID:
- 6893626
- Journal Information:
- Arms Control Today; (United States), Journal Name: Arms Control Today; (United States) Vol. 17:9; ISSN ACOTE
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
290600 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
350200* -- Arms Control-- Proliferation-- (1987-)
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450202 -- Explosions & Explosives-- Nuclear-- Weaponry-- (-1989)
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ARMS CONTROL
ASIA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
FINANCING
FOREIGN POLICY
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
NON-PROLIFERATION POLICY
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
PAKISTAN
USA
WEAPONS