To the Editor:
"America in the World" (editorial, Aug. 7) proposes that
encouraging the rule of law in Russia and China "should be among the primary goals of
the next president." Fair enough. But should the rule of law also play a part in our
foreign policy?
You say "the Pentagon can safely eliminate thousands of nuclear
weapons... but must maintain enough to discourage attack." The first part of that
statement is welcome, but the second invites the United States to set an example of
lawbreaking.
The nonproliferation treaty obliges us to negotiate in good faith for
nuclear disarmament. The International Court of Justice has interpreted this to mean
complete nuclear disarmament.
And at the United Nations in May, the United States solemnly signed on to
an "unequivocal undertaking" to eliminate its nuclear arsenal. The Pentagon's
continuing reliance on nuclear deterrence flouts this legal obligation.