International Agreements
The Basic Law

Al Jazeera gets A+. The Iran deal will be a Security Council Non-Proliferation Treaty Resolution ... Al Jazeera gets it right.

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Al Jazeera gets A+. The Iran deal will be a Security Council Non-Proliferation Treaty Resolution ... Al Jazeera gets it right.

NY Times, in contrast, are going out of their way to avoid identifying the fundamental, high school civics fail of Republican ignorance at the core of their recent 'Open Letter' to Iran. ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN are doing the same thing.

Al Jazeera got it dead on, a bull's eye:

The key element missing from the GOP Senators’ letter, however, is that the deal is not being negotiated between Iran and the United States; it is being negotiated between Iran and the P5+1 group, in which the U.S. is joined by Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. Even if the U.S. is the key player in that group, the deal being pursued reflects an international consensus — the same consensus that has made sanctions against Iran so effective.

This was likely in the mind of Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, who dismissed the letter as “of no legal value” and a “propaganda ploy.” Zarif noted that the deal would indeed be an international agreement adopted by the U.N. Security Council, which a new administration would be obliged to uphold — and that any attempt by the White House or Congress to abrogate, unilaterally modify or impede such an agreement would be a breach of U.S. obligations.

Germany was added to the 'P5' Permanent Members of the Security Council because they are a major trading partner with Iran.

The GOP47, a.k.a. 'The Worms,' never learned that Non-Proliferation Treaty actions for non-nuclear-weapons States are made part of international law at the United Nations. Yes, enacted in 1968; in force from 1970. Each agreement becomes a Security Council Resolution.

That is exactly how the current international sanctions on Iran were established. Passed as a Security Council Resolution in 2010. That is how these things work, complying with terms of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT.)

NY Times and Friends go so far as to identify GOP47 'idiocy.' They just make sure to avoid identifying the fundamental ignorance of the GOP47 world view.

'The letter was an attempt to scare the Iranians from making a deal that would limit their nuclear program for at least a decade by issuing a warning that the next president could simply reverse any agreement. It was a blatant, dangerous effort to undercut the president on a grave national security issue by communicating directly with a foreign government.'

Sure. That's correct. But what should matter is that 47 Senators are incompetent at high school civics.

The GOP47 are clueless about the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. The Treaty represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States. Opened for signature in 1968, the Treaty entered into force in 1970. On 11 May 1995, the Treaty was extended indefinitely. A total of 190 parties have joined the Treaty, including the five nuclear-weapon States.

D'oh.

The GOP47 slept through high school civics.

Al Jazeera stops short of calling the GOP47 idiots. That's kind of them. Fact is, we're looking at what will be a Security Council Resolution -- exactly as what is presented to Americans in 10th Grade civics -- and here's what the GOP47 believe:

'...under our Constitution, while the president negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the significant role of ratifying them. In the case of a treaty, the Senate must ratify it by a two-thirds vote. A so-called congressional-executive agreement requires a majority vote in both the House and the Senate (which, because of procedural rules, effectively means a three-fifths vote in the Senate). Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement.'

The one explanation for this mass ignorance that makes sense is that most of these guys are Birchers. John Birch Society adherents and paranoids. Their spiritual lives are tied to Holy Writ claiming that the United nations is a communist conspiracy, home for secret armies, a scheme to steal home firearms... a cousin to Sharia Law.

Plus, they skipped school when international law and treaties came up. And the concept of national sovereignty. As with all of Sarah Palin's Real Americans, they know that all that stuff is evil.

And they're in the United States Senate. And the voting machine tallies tell us that Americans changed over from voting a steady 39% to 41% in midterm elections, down to 34% in the one step from 2008 to 2012.

Why would anyone want to vote when if you don't vote, you'll be represented by an ignorant, arrogant loon ???

We don't care who governs us. No way.

Documentation below the fold........

The Worms

It has come to our attention (as worms) while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system. Thus, we are writing to bring to your attention two features of our Constitution—the power to make binding international agreements and the different character of federal offices—which you should seriously consider as negotiations progress.

First, under our Constitution, while the president negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the significant role of ratifying them. In the case of a treaty, the Senate must ratify it by a two-thirds vote. A so-called congressional-executive agreement requires a majority vote in both the House and the Senate (which, because of procedural rules, effectively means a three-fifths vote in the Senate). Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement.

Second, the offices of our Constitution have different characteristics. For example, the president may serve only two 4-year terms, whereas senators may serve an unlimited number of 6-year terms. As applied today, for instance, President Obama will leave office in January 2017, while most of us will remain in office well beyond then—perhaps decades.

What these two constitutional provisions mean is that we will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.

We hope this letter enriches your knowledge of our earthy constitutional system and promotes mutual understanding and clarity as nuclear negotiations progress.

Sincerely,

Senator Tom Cotton, R-AR
Senator Orrin Hatch, R-UT
Senator Charles Grassley, R-IA
Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY
Senator Richard Shelby, R-AL
Senator John McCain, R-AZ
Senator James Inhofe, R-OK
Senator Pat Roberts, R-KS
Senator Jeff Sessions, R-AL
Senator Michael Enzi, R-WY
Senator Michael Crapo, R-ID
Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC
Senator John Cornyn, R-TX
Senator Richard Burr, R-NC
Senator John Thune, R-SD
Senator Johnny Isakson, R-GA
Senator David Vitter, R-LA
Senator John A. Barrasso, R-WY
Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS
Senator Jim Risch, R-ID
Senator Mark Kirk, R-IL
Senator Roy Blunt, R-MO
Senator Jerry Moran, R-KS
Senator Rob Portman, R-OH
Senator John Boozman, R-AR
Senator Pat Toomey, R-PA
Senator John Hoeven, R-ND
Senator Marco Rubio, R-FL
Senator Ron Johnson, R-WI
Senator Rand Paul, R-KY
Senator Mike Lee, R-UT
Senator Kelly Ayotte, R-NH
Senator Dean Heller, R-NV
Senator Tim Scott, R-SC
Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX
Senator Deb Fischer, R-NE
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV
Senator Bill Cassidy, R-LA
Senator Cory Gardner, R-CO
Senator James Lankford, R-OK
Senator Steve Daines, R-MT
Senator Mike Rounds, R-SD
Senator David Perdue, R-GA
Senator Thom Tillis, R-NC
Senator Joni Ernst, R-IA
Senator Ben Sasse, R-NE
Senator Dan Sullivan, R-AK
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
March 9, 2015

God, almighty.....

Let's review 10th Grade civics for final clarity: the United Nations Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was approved in 1968 and ratified to become effective in 1970. It is the law for this planet (excluding non-ratifiers.)

This NPT is the sole instrument for enacting non-nuclear weapons agreements at national level. Permanent Members of the Security Council and Germany because they're a big trading partner ('the P5+1') do the negotiating. Agreements are ratified by votes of the 15 Members of the full Security Council.

Security Council. United Nations. Not the United States Senate.

We helped originate the NPT in 1968. President Johnson, the Senate, and President Nixon supported it enthusiastically. North Korea ratified then withdrew. India, Israel, Pakistan and South Yemen never ratified. There's history for each of them. The other 190 countries consider NPT to be a critical element for global survival.

In America we've got 47 Senators who fail the 10th Grade snap quiz. Get zero on it.

And allegedly people voted for them.

Makes you wonder.