• India Blasts Nuclear-Haves; UN May Deny Nuclear Status to New Powers
  was (but no longer) at: http://customnews.cnn.com/cnews/pna.show_story?p_art_id=2633315&p_section_name=World&p_art_type=330237&p_subcat=India&p_category=Asia
  ASCII text local copy
  Date: Sat, 06 Jun 1998
  Subject: Back to the same arguments

  This is a return to the same arguments that caused this nuclear crisis in the first place:   the insistence from the Perm 5 that they can maintain tens of thousands of nuclear weapons forever, and can threaten everybody else with them while refusing to allow anyone else the same privilege and right. And on the other hand India maintaining for over 3 decades that unless that situation changed it would be forced to develop its own nuclear weapons. It did, and a refusal now by the rest of us Perms, to even discuss total disarmament at this stage will only drive the crisis on.

  It is time to stop looking for some place to point the finger of blame elsewhere, at a new Indian government, Indian fundamentalism of one flavor or another, regional politics and relations, and face the fact that the bottom-line behind India's decision to finally exercise its nuclear option was the refusal of the rest of us to stop exercising ours. For over 30 years it has threatened to do just that and it did just as it has always maintained it would.

  Furthermore it is time to face the answer to the equally relevant question of who's pimping of nuclear weapons and strategic missile technology allowed this to happen? Was it us of the perm 5, and thus do we doubly share the blame?

  Further, the refusal to acknowledge that India and Pakistan are now nuclear weapons states is stupid. They have by their explosion of nuclear devices, especially India with the testing of a hydrogen bomb, by fact of being, clearly demonstrated they are nuclear weapons states. Whether the Perm 5 likes it or not, the possession of usable nuclear weapons by any state, by definition of reality, makes that state a nuclear weapons state.

  Instead of playing word games and trying to maintain a status quo that no longer exists, it is time the Perm 5 faces the facts and acknowledges they have a choice:   give up their weapons, or face more and more nations following India and Pakistan in developing weapons of their own so they cannot be threatened by the Perm 5's nuclear monopoly any more.

  Arms control and non-proliferation as we know it, no longer exists and playing the same old game by the same old rules not only will not work, but it is as dangerous, if not more so, than anything in the history of nuclear weapons and the nuclear arms race to date! Disarm or self-destruct, may ultimately be the choice we face and it is time to face that ugly potential while there is still time to make rational choices.

  J Truman

  See Also:
  http://www.desnews.com/cgi-bin/libstory_reg?dn98&9806150108
  "World's nuclear states are hypocrites", Deseret News, 6/15/98

Next | ToC | Prev