In its “Dr. Strangedeal” editorial, The Economist tells our congress to veto Bush’s nuclear agreement with India.

Rule-bending for India is bound to encourage some other countries to rethink their nuclear options too . . . Instead of a virtuous anti-nuclear cycle, there is now more likely to be a vicious nuclear one. China can be expected to insist on doing for proliferation-prone Pakistan what America wants to do for India, adding to a regional arms race that has led to a cascade of proliferation in the past. Giving India a freer ride is also likely to embolden Iran and North Korea in their defiance, with potential repercussions for the security of all their neighbours, from Saudi Arabia and Egypt to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Not said is why China, which has Islamist problems of its own, would want to strengthen the nuclear capability of an unstable, nearby Muslim state that harbors terrorists. Nor does The Economist explain why Iran and North Korea would become even more emboldened.

As Robert Kagan has observed,

The notion that the Indian deal will set back prospects for a diplomatic deal with Iran assumes that such prospects exist. All available evidence suggests otherwise.

The same goes for North Korea.