Can three members of Congress shun a world community set on limiting chemical weapons? Even though a bipartisan consensus of the U.S. Congress supports an international treaty banning chemical weapons, three legislators could block its ratification.

Jesse Helms refuses to support the pact because he believes it’s flawed. Since Strom Thurmond also refuses to approve the treaty and since Bob Dole does not intend to force a vote, ratification is highly unlikely.

The treaty would ban “nerve gas” and form an international organization to inspect chemical manufacturing locations. The pact has been ratified by only 40 of the necessary 65 countries to enact it.

As the U.S. delays its decision, the global community becomes more and more disinterested in the proposed agreement.

At this point, after the recent poison gas attack on the Tokyo subway, a “flawed” treaty is better than no treaty. Helms’ concern is that because of the tragedy in the Japanese subway system, a treaty among nations would do nothing to prevent terrorists from formulating chemical weapons. While Helms does have a point, perhaps a united international community could better prevent terrorists from using chemical weapons.

Under Helms’ logic, nuclear non-proliferation agreements should not be supported because terrorists could still attempt to manufacture nuclear weapons.

Politicians should put their egos aside, and allow one of the few bipartisan issues on which political parties agree to take shape.