UN Watchdog Warns Of 20 New Nuclear States In Next Few Years

The Guardian:

The number of potential nuclear weapons states could more than double in a few years unless the major powers take radical steps towards disarmament, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has warned.

Read the whole story: The Guardian

Comments

[davidwayneosedach]

All it's going to take is one to go off in the wrong place at the wrong time!

[KPinSEA]

Man, it's almost like you can't keep the laws of Physics a state secret forever .....

[lightningbolt]

I don't know why people think that the US and Russia disarming their nukes will encourage other nations to do so. It won't. They will try to get nukes anyway because they will still hunger for power. In fact, the incentive to get nukes when nobody else has them is even greater because that nation will then be the most powerful since no one can deter them with their own nukes.

Nuclear weapons have done more for peace than any other invention in the history of the world. Many lives have been saved by nuclear weapons because the great powers no longer go to war with each other since they will surely annihilate each other and the clearly don't want that.

[Khirad]

Did I miss something or did the article not mention them? Are we talking South Korea, Brazil and such - as well as Eygpt and Arab states? Or is the number 'twenty' classified guestimation?

[finishcurve]

I think one can make a pretty good guess on a few:

South Korea, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, Maylasia, Australia, South Africa (again) Iran, Saudi A., Egypt, Morocco, Libya,

[stell]

A poison, like the West, creates it's own antidote.

[eagledavey]

Once Iran gets nukes there will be no further reasonable objections to other terrorist aiding states getting them either.

[Hirnlego]

Nothing new...

US: No objection to Egyptian nuclear program
http://www.rawstory.com/news/afp/US_No_objection_to_Egyptian_nuclear_10292007.html

Arabs make plans for a future with nuclear power
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/26/world/fg-nuclear26

The reason we hear about Irans program is because they live on such a huge amount of oil.

[Carolab]

Analysis: Russia and Iran oil exchanges may compete with New York and London

On Feb. 17, 2008, Iran opened its own Petroleum Exchange on its Persian Gulf Kish Island, which Tehran had designated as a free trade zone. The Exchange was set up to trade contracts in euros, Iranian rials and a basket of other currencies other than dollars. The previous year, Iran had requested that its petroleum customers pay in non-dollar currencies, and by Dec. 8, 2007, Iran reportedly had converted all of its oil export payments to non-dollar currencies.

The Kish Island Petroleum Exchange currently trades contracts for oil-derived products, such as those used as feedstock for plastics and pharmaceuticals. According to Nozari, the bourse eventually may begin direct trading in crude oil, if the exchange successfully establishes itself. Should Iran participate in the St. Petersburg Commodity Exchange, it could avail itself of Russia's greater expertise in European markets while nurturing its own petroleum commodity exchange, and sharing Moscow's declared intention to shift trade beyond the international dollar-dominated market.

Diversification away from the dollar has long been a key tenet of Iranian government policy.

http://www.upi.com/Energy_Resources/2009/03/11/Analysis-Russia-and-Iran-oil-exchanges-may-compete-with-New-York-and-London/UPI-66671236800887/2/

[Carolab]

Speaking of nukes:

We should have figured it out earlier, but we didn't. The section in the bill was so obscure we all missed it. But the "Clean Energy Bank" legislation sponsored by Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) includes UNLIMITED taxpayer loan guarantees for construction of new nuclear reactors. Not $50 Billion, or $100 Billion. UNLIMITED!
In other words, under the guise of a clean energy program, the nuclear power industry could get taxpayer money to build as many reactors as they wanted, regardless of their cost, regardless of their projected default rate.

That's just unacceptable.

We need to act on this as loudly and clearly as possible.
Write your House member and Speaker Nancy Pelosi now. And then forward this message to everyone you can think of.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/5/14/731338/-Could-A-Clean-Energy-Bank-Wreck-the-Economy-Well,-yes......

[Furby]

Not to mention the fact that we haven't really come up with a feasible long term plan for disposal of used fuel rods.

[Cosmic-Zantor]

The nuclear weapon s America's Frankenstein.

We invented this horrible technology. Now it's going to come back and get us someday. If only the scientists in the 1940's had paused to consider the longterm ramifications of such weaponry maybe we wouldn't be in this situation.

[MomfromTexas]

Many scientists did pause and refused to be part of the Manhattan Project--Erdos and Pauling are two of the most famous for doing so. In the years that followed, they both became victims of McCartheism, which some think was a "get even" for not participating in the Manhattan Project. Remember, though, the idea was that Germany was inventing an atomic bomb, and the U.S. was trying to beat them at it. Einstein, who was a known pacifist, thought it was his research that had given the Germans the ability to build the bomb, and he urged FDR to support the U.S. in building a bomb because not creating one might have left us defenseless against the Germans. Einstein was strongly opposed to using the bomb against the Japanese, however.

[jackstpaul]

The US, unlike the other original nuclear club members, has never foresworn first use of nuclear weapons. What hypocrisy and what message it sends to others: use nuclear weapons when and if you want.

What’s ignored in the Iranian situation is their need for self-defense against the US, Israel, possibly Russia (at some point down the road), Pakistan, India, and others. Everyone talks about Israel's security needs, hence rationale for having nukes, yet ignores Iran needs--in part a reaction to Israel's military superiority.

Iran is maligned for some of them suggesting attacking Israel while the Israeli government is actively developing and talking openly about attacking Iran and no one in the US seems to care.

[Khirad]

No one places themselves in Iran's shoes. Or the signals that placing them in an "Axis of Evil" sent. Don't forget the huge national pride too. India rationalized its rights to pursue nuclear weapons simply because it constituted 1/5 of the world's population, I believe. Well, not really, China may have been a factor as well!

[AmandaBC]

This is good. The US military will think twice before invading another defenseless country. The lone superpower scenario is simply not acceptable.

[OneTop]

It's hard to suppress science and knowledge from getting around.

Unless .... you're in Texas

[Viper]

Bad news: That will mean its more likely that terrorist get their hands on a nuke. Good news: Thats 20 more countries we will not invade.


Regards

[ebanks84]

There they go. The dreaded UN scaring the people to d e a t h. They are the biggest war mongers in the world. They'll probably make SURE those 10-20 countries get nuclear warfare. How else will they be able to stay together. It's just so sad that we have so many different agencies, corporations, entities that want to destroy us and we don't even know it. If America doesn't wake up soon, we will all kiss our buns goodbye before we know it. Our main goal should be to get TOTAL RID OF ALL WAR MONGERS. They mean our country absolutely NO GOOD AT ALL. If we want total peace, we've got to BE PEACEFUL. You are what you are and will be treated accordingly.

[Tommygun264]

As a US Senator President Obama and Republican Senator Richard Lugar crafted bipartisan legislation and enacted a program for securing loose nuclear materials in former Soviet Union countries, years before this became a matter of concern in the mainstream corporate media and while Bush was trading nuclear technology for mangos with India. Then the right wing claimed he had no experience.