Sunday, April 04, 2004
And they say anti-missile defense is crazy
As it turns out, even Brazil seems intent on getting in on the new, cool, trend among developing (or hopelessly undeveloped) nations, which is to build nuclear weapons. Iran and North Korea are already in that league, and India and Pakistan are already declared nuclear powers.
If they can get anti-missile technology to work, then do it.
Back to the Brazil case, Lula has noted that he thought it unfair that rich nations have nuclear weapons and poor nations don't (or something like that). That being said, what are the odds of the rich world attacking Brazil, unless they do things like start to torture its own people or invade its neighbors, things it SHOULDN'T want to do, anyway? Nuclear weapons, historically, were a thing that rich nations brandished against the Soviet Union, not something we used as leverage against developing nations.
America needs to do more to ratchet down its nuclear arsenal, but it should be noted that the developing world has nothing to fear unless they do something REALLY stupid. Iraq wasn't a happy-go-lucky dictator who cared more about tending to his garden than events in the wider world. The guy invaded TWO of his neighbors, threatened a third (Saudi Arabia), and tortured, killed and/or gassed his own citizens as he built a police state wherein everyone was too scared of everyone else to pose much threat to his rule.
Lula isn't planning anything like that. In fact, I LIKE what Lula has managed to accomplish thus far in Brazil. His status as former labor leader has given him the moral authority to do things that oligarchs from the wealthier classes couldn't. That doesn't mean, though, that he has to stoke nationalist aspirations by cultivating a nuclear weapons program.
As it turns out, even Brazil seems intent on getting in on the new, cool, trend among developing (or hopelessly undeveloped) nations, which is to build nuclear weapons. Iran and North Korea are already in that league, and India and Pakistan are already declared nuclear powers.
If they can get anti-missile technology to work, then do it.
Back to the Brazil case, Lula has noted that he thought it unfair that rich nations have nuclear weapons and poor nations don't (or something like that). That being said, what are the odds of the rich world attacking Brazil, unless they do things like start to torture its own people or invade its neighbors, things it SHOULDN'T want to do, anyway? Nuclear weapons, historically, were a thing that rich nations brandished against the Soviet Union, not something we used as leverage against developing nations.
America needs to do more to ratchet down its nuclear arsenal, but it should be noted that the developing world has nothing to fear unless they do something REALLY stupid. Iraq wasn't a happy-go-lucky dictator who cared more about tending to his garden than events in the wider world. The guy invaded TWO of his neighbors, threatened a third (Saudi Arabia), and tortured, killed and/or gassed his own citizens as he built a police state wherein everyone was too scared of everyone else to pose much threat to his rule.
Lula isn't planning anything like that. In fact, I LIKE what Lula has managed to accomplish thus far in Brazil. His status as former labor leader has given him the moral authority to do things that oligarchs from the wealthier classes couldn't. That doesn't mean, though, that he has to stoke nationalist aspirations by cultivating a nuclear weapons program.
