On Your Nuclear Mark, Get Set, Go

the progressive | June 15, 2002 | mathew rothchild

[Mrs.redsoxalltheway]

June 15, 2002

On Your Nuclear Mark, Get Set, Go

The Bush Administration's recklessness when it comes to nuclear weapons is now well out of the starting blocks. In fact, it has knocked over the biggest hurdle slowing down a nuclear arms race: the ABM Treaty of 1972.

On June 13, the U.S. withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty became final, and the treaty is now kaput.

As a result, Bush is free to pursue his Star Wars fantasy and to construct a costly missile defense system.

This system, even if it solved the daunting technological problems, would not protect the United States from nuclear attack.

Such an attack these days is not likely to come from an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile), and that's all that Star Wars would protect against. "U.S. territory is more likely to be attacked with [chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear] materials from nonmissile delivery means--most likely from terrorists--than by missiles, primarily because nonmissile delivery means are less costly, easier to acquire, and more reliable and accurate," according to a December 2001 U.S. intelligence community report.

And missile defense is a misnomer, anyway. What the Bush Administration seeks is missile offense--the ability to use the nuclear shield as a way to project power, not defend U.S. territory.

That's the dirty little secret behind the U.S. withdrawal from the ABM treaty.

If the United States perfects the technology of missile defense, it can then throw its weight around the world even more than it does today, since countries with a limited nuclear arsenal, like China, would have no functional deterrent.

China, which has only about twenty ICBMs that could hit the United States today, would lose its ability to keep the United States at bay. If, for instance, China and Taiwan were on the brink of war, with Beijing threatening to forcibly reincorporate the island, Washington would be in a position to say, "You do it and your dead," without Beijing being able to respond, "Yeah, well, there goes Los Angeles and San Francisco."

This is not mere speculation. The Bush Administration, in its Nuclear Review Posture, mentioned China as a possible target of U.S. nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.

For Beijing, the demise of the ABM Treaty is the clearest possible signal that it better start building up its nuclear arsenal--and fast. Military planners there have every incentive now to increase the stockpile from 20 to, say, 200. They have every incentive to put multiple warheads on those missiles. And they surely will be working on a way to use decoys and other devices to counter any missile defense the United States puts up.

As a result, the United States in the next decade or so will be facing another superpower, in addition to Russia, that has the nuclear capacity to destroy the United States.

And Russia, which is now buddy-buddy with the United States, may not be forever. If and when relations sour, Moscow's military strategists, perceiving the U.S. missile defense as a potential threat, will build their own arsenals back up.

In fact, Russia is already doing so. The day after the Bush wrecked the ABM Treaty, Moscow said it was no longer bound by Start II, which banned multiple warheads. A Russian arsenal equipped with such warheads won't make us any safer.

The nuclear arms race is on, more dangerous than ever.

This is the world Bush is bequeathing us with.

-- Matthew Rothschild

[Mrs.redsoxalltheway]

why not have a wacko like rothchild as my first post ever on free republic I hope it comes out alright hubby is at work so no one is here to help me

[Senator Pardek]

Such an attack these days is not likely to come from an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile), and that's all that Star Wars would protect against.

That's a good point, and it's why I don't think taxpayers should shell out cash for bulletproof vests for cops, because they can just as easily be shot in the face!

[elephantlips]

You forgot the "barf alert."

[Senator Pardek]

China, which has only about twenty ICBMs that could hit the United States today, would lose its ability to keep the United States at bay. If, for instance, China and Taiwan were on the brink of war, with Beijing threatening to forcibly reincorporate the island, Washington would be in a position to say, "You do it and your dead," without Beijing being able to respond, "Yeah, well, there goes Los Angeles and San Francisco."

Does this chap confess to being an American or a Chinaman?

[Mrs.redsoxalltheway]

sorry

[Diogenesis]

This intellectually handicapped moron ignores missiles
around the world.

In Pakistan, Ghauri nuclear-capable rockets are tested [range of 1,500 km (1,000 miles)]

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In Pakistan, Ghaznavi rockets are tested [290 kilometers (176 miles)]

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In Pakistan, a HatfII [a.k.a. Abdali] rockets are tested for short range surface-to-surface use [~180 km].

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In Lahore, Pakistan. anti-India terrorists holding models of Pakistan missiles as they threaten democratic India.

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In Karachi, Pakistan, terrorists carry mock Ghauri rockets, and real Ghauris move in parade.

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============ INDIA ===========

In India, at Jammu, incoming rockets from Pakistan!!!

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In India, at Akhnoor, incoming rockets from Pakistan!!!

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File photo from 1/99 shows India's Agni rocket.

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In India, New Delhi, anti-Pakistani protesters rally against the continued test-firing of Pakistan missiles.

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In Ahmadabad, India, the Bharatiya Janata Party Youth Wing
hold up a mock Agni-3 missiles, as war with Pakistan is considered.

[tje]

Good Post. But it did need the 'barf alert' as someone earlier noted.

I've always been amazed that people accepted Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) and not defensive weapons.

Would this frickin' a-ho prefer that we build up more and more nuclear weapons as a 'defence'? And what country was this ABM treaty with? Does that country exist anymore? A treaty with only one participant is not much of a treaty.

[GaryMontana]

The USA should have it's military superior to Red China.
What is wrong with being superior to a nation that wishes to enslave you? What drugs does the author take?

Perhaps the author of this garbage should first move to China and enjoy the soicalist working connditions in a slave factory, have his wife murdered for her body parts, and than tell us why it is wrong to be militarily stronger than a nation that terrorizes its own people after Mao killed 80 million of his countrymen.

[GaryMontana]

The USA should have it's military superior to Red China.
What is wrong with being superior to a nation that wishes to enslave you? What drugs does the author take?

Perhaps the author of this garbage should first move to China and enjoy the soicalist working connditions in a slave factory, have his wife murdered for her body parts, and than tell us why it is wrong to be militarily stronger than a nation that terrorizes its own people after Mao killed 80 million of his countrymen.

[Dales]

This is hilarious!

China, which has only about twenty ICBMs that could hit the United States today, would lose its ability to keep the United States at bay. If, for instance, China and Taiwan were on the brink of war, with Beijing threatening to forcibly reincorporate the island, Washington would be in a position to say, "You do it and your dead," without Beijing being able to respond, "Yeah, well, there goes Los Angeles and San Francisco."

Um, yeah, and?

Oh, I am sorry. I see this is in the Progressive, and to them anything that would hold back the spread of a Communist rule is bad.

[Dales]

lol

I know, it is so funny how that mindset works. He opposes the US having more ability to project force- not to expand our reach even, but rather to prevent China from using force to expand its reach- on the grounds that doing so would prevent China from threatening to nuke LA if we stand in their way.

[operation clinton cleanup]

They have every incentive to put multiple warheads on those missiles. And they surely will be working on a way to use decoys and other devices to counter any missile defense the United States puts up.

She fails to realize bill clinton is no longer in power and our missile technology is no longer up for grabs to the highest bidder.

[BJClinton]

Welcome to Free Republic. I'm still trying to convince my wife to join, she's rather anti-political. Good post except it needed a Barf Alert, as folks have mentioned. Now, to the article.

...Beijing threatening to forcibly reincorporate the island, Washington would be in a position to say, "You do it and your dead,"without Beijing being able to respond, "Yeah, well, there goes Los Angeles and San Francisco."

Well, yes. That's the idea. To stop tyrannical governments. As far as a new arms race, that's been on since the world witnessed us mopping the floor with Iraq's "Fourth Largest Army in the World".

[Senator Pardek]

And don't forget those big, mean daisy cutters we dropped in Afghanistan. Have we lost all sense of fair play?

The most important function fedgov has is to ensure that a nuke does not strike my coconut - everything else is gravy.

[BJClinton]

She fails to realize...

"She" is named Matthew.

[operation clinton cleanup]

"She" is named Matthew.

Ooops! My bad!

[another cricket]

The most important function fedgov has is to ensure that a nuke does not strike my coconut - everything else is gravy.

Bears repeating.

a.cricket

[operation clinton cleanup]

This system, even if it solved the daunting technological problems, would not protect the United States from nuclear attack.

The Wright Brothers did not start out flying a 747.

[DeaconBenjamin]

Why are Pakistani protesters carrying a missle with the name
of New Hampshire's Democrat Governor on it?

[Billy_bob_bob]

Gotta love those pictures of all of those happy, cheerful people doing happy things, like waving weapons about while chanting "die, die, die" or something equally endearing.

Yes, it's one big happy world out there. And we get to play 911 to the family disputes and neighborhood conflicts of the whole durn planet. Ain't that just great.