A paragraph so perfect that its existence in an imperfect world is a paradox
By Thoreau
It’s just objectively true that there is no country in the world — anywhere — that threatens to attack and bomb other countries as routinely and blithely as the U.S. does. What rational leader wouldn’t want to obtain nuclear weapons in a world where the “superpower” is run by people like Dan Coates and Chuck Robb who threaten to attack and bomb whatever countries they want? Even the Coats/Robb Op-Ed argues that Iranian proliferation would be so threatening to the U.S. because “the ability to quickly assemble a nuclear weapon would effectively give Iran a nuclear deterrent“ – in other words, they’d have the ability to deter a U.S. attack on their country, and we can’t have that.
Word.
BTW, all of the Iranians that I know have long historical memories and deep national pride, whether they left voluntarily or involuntarily. Has anybody considered the possibility that Iran is seeking nukes to keep the Athenians in line?
Comment by StuTheSheep —
October 23, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
We have to attack Iran because their leaders are religious nuts who keep threatening to attack other countries.
Which is somehow entirely different from our leaders being religious nuts who keep threatening to attack other countries.
Comment by doubled —
October 23, 2008 @ 2:27 pm
So to follow through on the thought process of this perfect paragraph :should we then make sure that every country has nuclear arms in stock as a nuclear deterrent?
Would you defend the same argument used to justify hand-gun ownership?
Comment by StuTheSheep —
October 23, 2008 @ 3:13 pm
doubled –
No, but if I had a crazy neighbor who owned several guns and kept threatening to shoot me for no reason, and had already shot several of our other neighbors for no reason, I might consider buying one myself.
Comment by kid bitzer —
October 23, 2008 @ 3:24 pm
iranians who know their glorious history have nothing but tolerant contempt for the athenians.
somehow, this tiny tribe of know-nothings on the edge of the persian empire managed to pretend that a trivial border-skirmish was a clash of civilizations.
which is ridiculous: there can be no clash of civilizations when only one side has a civilization at all. persia was simply pursuing its mission civilizatrice, and some of the natives didn’t know what was good for them.
Comment by bartkid —
October 23, 2008 @ 3:25 pm
Eerie.
The Bipartisan Policy Centre logo looks like the cover to King Crimson’s Three of a Perfect Pair.
And, just by chance, I’m wearing a TOAPP t-shirt today.
“They make a study in despair.”
Indeed.
Comment by Thoreau —
October 23, 2008 @ 3:56 pm
I don’t really want a world where nukes are common, because there are some obvious differences between nukes and handguns.
However, I also don’t think that threatening to bomb lots of non-nuclear powers is a good way to discourage people from seeking nukes.
Comment by Derek Copold —
October 23, 2008 @ 7:51 pm
However, I also don’t think that threatening to bomb lots of non-nuclear powers is a good way to discourage people from seeking nukes.
WORD.
Comment by Ian —
October 24, 2008 @ 1:05 am
Article 2 of the U.N. Charter explicitly provides that “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
If North Korea made threats the way the US does, Japan would have deployed EVA Unit 01 years ago.
Comment by Eric the .5b —
October 24, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
I suspect that more countries having maintainable nuclear arsenals in the single digits might deter a lot of small, bloody wars. Wouldn’t help in the case of civil wars, but it’d at least keep us out of them…
Comment by Idi Amin's Last Meal —
October 24, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
I suspect that more countries having maintainable nuclear arsenals in the single digits might deter a lot of small, bloody wars. Wouldn’t help in the case of civil wars, but it’d at least keep us out of them…
Thinking such as this would have allowed the post-Apartheid South Africa to have the “Negroid Bomb”*. Imagine that, then — Darkness with the bomb! You think Sierra Leone, Rwanda, & Darfur were &/or are bad, now… Imagine a nuclear “Hopeless Continent”**.
*As a play on my favourite expression, in reference to Nuclear Pakistan, “The Islamic Bomb”.
**As seen on the cover of The Economist, Spring ‘00.
(Also, the fact that Israel collaborated with those ersatz Nazi/white supremacist Afrikaaners to develop her nuclear arsenal — that might well be the worst stain on the wonderful Jewish State.)