Much is made of Guantanamo -- the made-to-order example of U.S. hypocrisy and easy scapegoat for human rights abusers -- when the administration presses other governments on the rule of law and accountable governance. Rightfully so. But as Tarek pointed out last week in his post, "Fallout from a Nuclear Double Standard," there are other areas where U.S. leaders need to think carefully before we make exceptions that undermine the norms we champion.

Like Tarek, I feel a little ambivalent about the U.S.-India nuclear deal. On a bilateral basis, it's good for business, desperately needed as India tries to cope with constant power shortages (and arguably better for the environment than coal or other options), and it's bound to draw the U.S. and India closer strategically. But, as The Economist argues this week, it is "A price too high."

China, then, is no justification for the damage America's nuclear concessions to India will do... The text of the latest agreement has not been made public. But from what has been said about it, it makes the damage far worse, by allowing India to reprocess American-supplied nuclear fuel, and by permitting it to build fuel stockpiles and hence withstand any future cut-off of supplies should it test another bomb. America claims that other aspirant nuclear powers, notably Iran, will learn the benefits of good behaviour—ie, of India's fairly respectable record on non-proliferation. More likely, however, the rewards India (and North Korea) are reaping will encourage countries without the bomb to strive to acquire one as soon as possible.

Bilateral and immediate benefits notwithstanding, there's something to be said for sticking by our agreements and not allowing exceptions when it comes to something as critical as nuclear proliferation. As Scott Paul writes in "The Minute," a publication of Citizens for Global Solutions:

In Today's World, It Doesn't Matter Where the Button Is Pushed. The spread of nuclear weapons threatens national and international security. A nuclear detonation anywhere makes people less safe everywhere. The only way to stop proliferation is to work together with other nations...

Time for NPT 2.0. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty worked for decades, but now it is outdated. We should work with other countries to revitalize and strengthen the treaty so it can keep us safe for the next 62 years.

Hear hear.