Political Quotes

“Critics charge that the CWC will be ineffective because rogue states such as Syria, Iraq, North Korea, and Libya--all of whom are suspected of or confirmed to have chemical weapons--have not joined the convention. Therefore, the argument goes, the United States should withhold its ratification until these states join. I could not disagree more. Just think of it. The logic of this argument would lead us to a world where rogue actors--not good international citizens--determine the rules of international conduct. Such a policy would amount, effectively, to a surrender of U.S. national sovereignty to the actions of a few. Instead of the United States actively leading international coalitions and setting tough standards on nonproliferation matters, the convention opponents would have us do nothing until every two-bit rogue regime would decide for us when we should act. This reasoning is contrary to the record of the past 40 years, during which the United States has led the way in nonproliferation initiatives.”