Posted by caraher on February 2, 2006, at 7:20:27
In reply to Re: okay so maybe i'm missing something..., posted by alexandra_k on February 1, 2006, at 22:24:12
I mostly agree with Alexandra about the double standard... a little-known feature of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is that in exchange for the "non-nuclear" nations pledging not to develop nuclear weapons the ones in possession of nuclear weapons promised to work toward eliminating them from their own arsenals. Article VI:
"Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control."
Since the treaty was first signed in 1968, how much of this has actually happened? At present, the US is one of the few nations working to develop new types of nuclear weapons ("bunker busters"), and with an emphasis on having weapons whose use might be "acceptable" rather than strictly for deterrence.
But as Iraq showed, the ability to actually create a nuclear mushroom cloud is at best weakly linked to the amount of noise "the West" makes about a nation's possible nuclear ambitions.
poster:caraher
thread:605246
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20051121/msgs/605401.html