Arms Control Ratification: Opportunities for Modifying Agreements (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Sept. 2, 2015 |
| Report Number |
IN10352 |
| Report Type |
Insight |
| Authors |
Woolf, Amy F. |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
On July 14, 2015, Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany (the P5+1) finalized a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)--an agreement that restricts Iran's nuclear program in an effort to ensure that it can only be used for peaceful purposes. The Obama Administration and others who support this agreement contend that efforts by Congress to alter or amend the agreement would necessitate additional negotiations and, essentially, block a diplomatic solution. Some Members of Congress and others who oppose the agreement contend, however, that if Congress mandated changes and insisted on further negotiations, the United States could conclude a better agreement. Some note that, in the past, 'Congress has rejected or altered hundreds of international agreements.' According to one analyst, the Senate has added conditions to its consent to ratification, even when the agreements 'included numerous other participating countries.' This has led, according to another analyst, to Congress playing a significant role in 'modifying important national security treaties or agreements.'
