tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11789240581547089722024-03-13T10:33:36.851-07:00The Nukes of HazardDaniel Roystonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01443792925769864212noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178924058154708972.post-13155779079535210572012-05-10T12:39:00.000-07:002012-05-17T13:19:10.262-07:00The Global Nuclear Arsenal: The World's Current Situation<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.thomsonreuters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/nuclear-weapons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://blog.thomsonreuters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/nuclear-weapons.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image from <a href="http://blog.thomsonreuters.com/index.php/world-nuclear-weapon-states-graphic-of-the-day/" target="_blank">Reuters</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of planet earth’s biggest fears
is self-destruction by its inhabitants and it is not global warming; it is
nuclear proliferation. The question is,
where does the world currently stand on this issue? A simple way to answer this question is that
in addition to the five countries that signed the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty
(United States, Russia, China, France and England), North Korea, Israel and Iran are the most worried about nations containing nuclear power and have yet to sign the treaty (NPT), causing a growing angst throughout the globe. These
countries are making the rest of the world increasingly anxious due to the possibility of
illegal distribution of nuclear weaponry to terrorist organizations and
countries without a substantial government (Nuclear Proliferation). The future holds many different possible solutions
as the most important and stressed one is the process of disarmament. This is the solution in which I believe would
reduce tensions between several nations and to prevent the possibility of a
nuclear weapons based war. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> To
understand the situation completely, we must examine the statuses of each
controversial nation claiming their acquisition of nuclear weapons. North Korea is currently one of the most
feared nations due to its secrecy and unpredictable actions and a nuclear test
may arrive sooner than later. According
to an ABC News </span><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/korean-nuclear-weapons-real-threat-16299687#.T6sKIMRYtRE" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">article</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
by Eric Talmadge, due to the nation’s recent long-range missile launch failure,
the communist leader Kim Jong-Un has been rumored to respond to this failure
with a nuclear weapons test. “Satellite
imagery also suggested stepped-up activity at the North’s Punggye-ri nuclear
testing site,” and “sooner or later, however, a test is highly likely.” Even if this future test does not succeed to
the fullest, the communist nation will be satisfied with a partial success with
its nuclear weapons testing. Another
reason why North Korea is such a nation to fear is due to the possibility of
sharing its nuclear weaponry with terrorist organizations. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20111221&t=2&i=549524475&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=460&pl=300&r=BTRE7BK0JRG00" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="264" src="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20111221&t=2&i=549524475&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=460&pl=300&r=BTRE7BK0JRG00" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Image from <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/21/us-korea-north-exclusive-idUSTRE7BK0FX20111221" target="_blank">Reuters</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In an early March, 2011 <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112hhrg65056/pdf/CHRG-112hhrg65056.pdf">hearing</a>
before the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, the
issue is regarding “North Korea’s Sea of Fire: Bullying, Brinkmanship and
Blackmail.” At around this time, “North
Korea [had] attempted to ship arms to Hamas and Hezbollah, both proxies of the
Iranian regime and both designated by the U.S. Department of State as foreign
terrorist organizations.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">”</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> China has
also been the topic of discussion when it comes to nuclear weapons, as the
nation is one of the few to embrace the neighboring North as an ally and top-trading
partner. In addition to China being one
of the five nations to sign the NPT, “every day that Beijing fails to pressure
Pyongyang is a day that brings the North closer to having a deliverable nuclear
weapons capability.” China must succumb
to the United States’ side in this matter as this is also making these two
superpower nations growing at unease, and a relationship with the world’s top
economic power must not be tampered with.
On the other hand, China has taken the right steps in improving this
growing tension with the United States by suggesting that they and Russia, the
two countries with the largest nuclear arsenal, to impose a great number of
weapons cuts to decrease the influence of nuclear power. From an </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/30/us-nuclear-china-weapons-idUSBRE83T0SD20120430" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">article</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">
in Reuters by Frederik Dahl, “Ambassador Cheng Jingye, head of the Chinese
delegation, said all nuclear weapons states should publicly undertake ‘not to
seek permanent possession’ of atomic bombs.”
In this case, China understands that the only way to prevent a global
nuclear power fear, the chief countries must make the first moves in reducing
the size of their atomic arsenals. The
ambassador continues by saying, “as countries with (the) largest nuclear
arsenals, U.S and Russia should continue reductions in their nuclear arsenals
in a verifiable and irreversible manner.”</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://digitalgroup.info/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/gal_obama_israel_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://digitalgroup.info/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/gal_obama_israel_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S President Barack Obama</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Image from <a href="http://digitalgroup.info/wordpress/index.php/archives/62023" target="_blank">Digital Group</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Shifting to the Middle East, the
nation of Iran has been in the spotlight due to its recent accusations of being
close to obtaining a nuclear arsenal.
Like North Korea, Iran is on the list of most feared nations, likely
even more worrisome. “A nuclear Iran
would alter the strategic balance in the tense Middle East and, some say,
possibly trigger a regional atomic arms race,” (Rising Tension). Despite sanctions from the United States and
Europe, Iran has been unfazed by these actions and has yet reduce the
enrichment of uranium or correctively operating their nuclear program to the
right standards (Rising Tension). The
nation most threatened by Iran’s nuclear ambitions is the United States’ close
ally, Israel. An extremely close physical
proximity to Iran, Israel should also be on the spotlight regarding this
issue. Not only has the Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publicly <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/26/world/africa/26iht-iran.html">state</a>
“Israel must be wiped off the map,” but with the added support of the Palestine
state, the president continued to preach by saying “the establishment of a
Zionist regime was a move by the world oppressor against the Islamic world.” Ahmadinejad will likely not think twice when
it comes to striking Israel with a full frontal nuclear arsenal as he did
publicly say such a thing without hesitation.
Corresponding back to a statement by Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission
Chairman Ernst David Bergmann in 1952, “we shall never again be led as lambs to
the slaughter,” referencing the Holocaust (Nuclear Proliferation). This will likely stand as Israel’s current
state of mind with regarding any lethal attacks made by opposing nations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/1108-iran-nuclear-report/10958542-1-eng-US/1108-iran-nuclear-report_full_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/1108-iran-nuclear-report/10958542-1-eng-US/1108-iran-nuclear-report_full_600.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ahmadinejad visits the Natanz Uranium Enrichment Facility in Iran</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Image from <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1108/Report-says-Iran-nuclear-weapons-work-continued-til-2009" target="_blank">The Christian Science Monitor</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Israel also plays a vital role, as
it is currently the sole nation in the Middle East to contain nuclear
weaponry. This could also pose as a
threat to Iran and I believe Ahmadinejad would use this fact as leverage for
making a pre-emptive strike on the Jewish state. In addition, with the recent <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-hangs-alleged-mossad-agent-in-widening-shadow-war-over-tehrans-nuclear-ambitions/2012/05/15/gIQA9BedRU_story.html">allegations</a>
of an Israeli Mossad spy for killing an Iranian nuclear scientist at Tehran
University in 2010, Ahmadinejad responded by hanging the one responsible. Iran claims “he was trained by Israel’s spy
agency to carry out one of the first attack on Iranian scientists in a
suspected shadow war against Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.” This new “shadow war” is the perfect term to
describe the current situation between the two nations as a future war may very
well be foreshadowed from this execution, as did many wars in the past such as
World War I. On the other hand, Israel has made it clear
that a pre-emptive strike on their behalf is more realistic. “Israel has
long contended that if the West waits to see if sanctions work, Iran will have
time to bury key nuclear facilities deep inside mountain bunkers, making them
inaccessible to even the most powerful bombs,” (Rising Tension). The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, responded by saying that retaliation on their behalf “would be 10 times worse for the interests of
the United States” than for their own (Rising Tension). These three nations are currently in this standoff,
cold war-like situation and each country awaiting any forthcoming actions to be
made. It seems it is every nation for themself
at this point. The nation that should be
worried the most at this point is actually the United States. According to the <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/dotmil/2012/05/14/former-officials-2012-us-israel-attack-on-iran-unlikely">U.S
News World and Report</a>, “A U.S or Israeli military strike on Iran’s alleged nuclear
weapons facilities is unlikely this year, but could happen as soon as 2013, say
several senior American officials.” One
of the main reason for which is that it is currently an election year and
President Barack Obama will not submit the nation into another unnecessary
Middle East dilemma to sustain his presidency for his hopeful second term in
office. He is also working with Israeli
officials to also avoid any plans for a pre-emptive strike that would result in
American involvement. Nicholas Burns,
undersecretary of state under the Bush administration, simply stated the
earliest a strike would occur: “It’s
2013.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As for the sole, dire solution to
this issue that has been urged for decades ever since the bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, disarmament is the only way out of this global mess. The first attempts at doing so were the two
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I and SALT II). <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/documents/salt">SALT I</a> occurred from
November 1969 to May 1972. During this
time period, “the United States and the Soviet Union negotiated the first
agreements to place limits and restraints on some of their central and most
important armaments.” This attempt,
however, landed no success. The <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/documents/salt2">SALT II</a> negotiations
occurred in November 1972 and the main goal “was to replace the Interim
Agreement (from SALT I) with a long-term comprehensive Treaty providing broad
limits on strategic offensive weapons systems.”
Today, there have been several attempts from important figures around
the world striving for the reduction of nuclear arms. Ban Ki-Moon, the current Secretary General of
the United Nations, started a disarmament campaign in 2009 called WMD (We Must
Disarm). As you can see in his
promotional video, Ban Ki-Moon urges the world to join his nuclear disarmament
awareness campaign by warning the public that “nuclear terrorism is real” and
proclaiming: “I have a vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.” As stated earlier, in addition to the
Secretary General’s campaign, China has also strived for global disarmament and
having the world’s top economic power demanding such actions is crucial for the
rest of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As fearsome as it sounds, a nuclear weapons based war may soon become a reality rather than a brushed off thought. A war like this is will leave the world more crippled than it's ever been if it turns nuclear and by spreading the awareness of
disarmament throughout the globe, it will only react positively with when it to
peace and prosperity between all nations on this planet. With additional nuclear disarmament awareness campaigns such as the We Must Disarm. By having the United Nations represent campaigns such as these, issues regarding nuclear arms will become a more relevent issue to talk about and subject to debate during the United States presidential election of 2012 and beyond. Nuclear weapons nations guarded by the non-proliferation treaty must act now and collaborate together to negotiate what needs to be done to initiate the beginning steps of disarmament.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Works Cited:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: sans-serif, serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">Bennett, John T. "Former Officials: 2012 U.S., Israel Attack
on Iran Unlikely." </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: sans-serif, serif; font-size: small; line-height: 24pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">U.S News World and Report</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: sans-serif, serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">. 14 May 2012.
Web. 15 May 2012. <www.usnews.com>.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">Dahl, Frederik. "China Wants "drastic" U.S., Russia
Nuclear Arms Cuts." <i>Reuters</i>. 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 May 2012.
<reuters.com>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">Fathi, Nazila. "Wipe Israel 'off the Map' Iranian
Says." <i>The New York Times</i>. 27 Oct. 2005. Web. 11 May 2012.
<www.nytimes.com>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">Flamini, Roland. "Nuclear Proliferation." <i>CQ
Global Researcher</i> 1 Jan. 2007: 1-26. Web. 17 May 2012.
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><u1:p></u1:p>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">lamini,
Roland. "Rising Tension Over Iran." <i>CQ Global Researcher</i> 7
Feb. 2012: 57-80. Web. 17 May 2012</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 24pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">"Iran Hangs Alleged Mossad Agent in Widening Shadow War over
Tehran’s Nuclear Ambitions." <i>The Washington Post</i>. Associated
Press, 15 May 2012. Web. 15 May 2012. <www.washingtonpost.com>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 24pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">"Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II (SALT II)." <i>Arms
Control Association</i>. Department of State. Web. <www.armscontrol.org>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 24pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">"Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I)." <i>Arms
Control Association</i>. Department of State. Web. <www.armscontrol.org>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 24pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">Talmadge, Eric. "N. Korean Nuclear Weapons: How Real Is the
Threat?" <i>ABC News</i>. Assiciated Press, 8 May 2012. Web. 12 May
2012. <abcnews.com>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 24pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">United States. Cong. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. <i>North
Korea's Sea of Fire: Bullying, Brinkmanship and Blackmail</i>. 112 Cong., 1st
sess. H. Rept. 112-6. Washington, D.C: U.S Government Printing Office,
2011. <i>Www.gpo.gov</i>. U.S Government Printing Office, 10 Mar. 2011.
Web. 12 May 2012. <www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">We Must Disarm</span></i><span style="font-family: sans-serif, serif;">. Perf. Ban Ki-Moon. <i>Youtube</i>.
United Nations, 6 Aug. 2009. Web. 16 May 2012. <www.youtube.com>.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>Daniel Roystonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01443792925769864212noreply@blogger.com1