The Dangers of Despotism

WASHINGTON — In recent weeks, an uncomfortable paradox has been exposed. While the world's attention was riveted on the possibility of Saddam Hussein passing weapons of mass destruction to terrorists, it was our close ally in the war on terrorism, Pakistan, that was the world's leading proliferator of nuclear weapons technology. North Korea, Iran and Libya all developed nuclear weapons programs with the help of Pakistan.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has tried to sweep these transgressions under the rug. He claimed that his country's leading nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, who has acknowledged his lead role in the transfer of the nuclear know-how, acted on his own. The shipment of some of the weapons material in military transport, Musharraf would have us believe, was done without the knowledge of the army's or nation's leaders. In any case, Musharraf, who pardoned Khan, asserts that the problem has been handled.

Bizarrely, the Bush administration seems to agree. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell called Pakistani officials "to convey the United States' appreciation over the results of the investigations and the manner in which they were conducted," according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry. The administration justified its position on the grounds that Musharraf was a critical ally in the effort to find Osama bin Laden and was the only person who could ensure stability and moderation in Pakistan.

This would seem to be a textbook trade-off between national security and democracy. In fact, it demonstrates just the opposite.

Pakistan has been a major proliferator precisely because its authoritarian government is largely unaccountable. Even during its short experience with elected leaders, the military has been beholden only to itself. Our relations with Pakistan, consequently, should be considered within the strategic framework of a global system of democratic states adhering to the rule of law. Advancing this objective is the best way to reduce terrorists' access to nuclear weapons technology.

Think about it. All our security threats -- North Korea, Iran, Syria and nonstate terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda -- are rooted in autocratically governed societies. The greater accountability, transparency, tolerance and nonbelligerence typical of democracies are indispensable constraints on proliferation and the emergence of transnational terrorist threats.