In Perspective: America's new nukes

Sunday 4 March 2007

America's new nukes

Just what the world needs: more/new nukes. How is this going to help the North Korean (which is ok for now) and Iranian (not doing as well) nuclear situations, and any aspiring N Koreas and Irans?

BBC News:

The Bush administration has selected the design for America's first new nuclear warhead in nearly two decades.

US officials say the warhead will not add to the country's nuclear arsenal, but will replace existing missiles.

Critics have complained it sends the wrong signal at a time when the White House is leading efforts to curb Iran and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The biggest issue is perception. This move — at such a wrong time — is horrible PR. People know the US has a large nuclear arsenal and is not working on making it any smaller, but this only raises the visibility; reminding people of America's nukes. In a casual way, the US is showing off its nuclear might, while only embellishing its reputation for hypocrisy (e.g. you cannot fund rogue militias, we can; you cannot have nukes, we can; you cannot start a preemptive invasion, but we can; you cannot break international law, we can).

The US may be a superpower, but that does not make it all-powerful, especially in the eyes of an 18-year-old willing to do anything for his people, who are devastated by what they see as American evil. It will give states wanting nuclear weapons yet another reason to have them, and will another battle-cry from those states to garner the support of their people. North Korea is already closed off enough with only state-run propaganda flowing through its information lines, and Iranians, like many others, have plenty of bad feelings for the United States.

Message to the US: the Cold War is over. Posturing and a nuclear politic will only make things worse. This story is just the tip of the iceberg as the United States has ambitions for an anti-missile system — in Europe.