"Radio-activity. It's in the air, for you and me."
--Kraftwerk, 1975.
THE MIDDLE EAST--I hope you've taken all of your drugs, drank all of your booze, and enjoyed the holidays, because Israel is threatening to use low-yield tactical nukes on uranium enrichment facilities in Iran. The threat is being pushed by publicly-revealing a "secret plan" that will be implemented if the United States doesn't attack Iran's facilities militarily, says the Times of London:
Under the plans, conventional laser-guided bombs would open “tunnels” into the targets. “Mini-nukes” would then immediately be fired into a plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout. (Times, 01.07.2007)
It's unknown whether this technology was shared by the United States government with Israel, though President Bush has talked-openly about putting more funding into such programs in the last three-years. Essentially, Israel is either providing a pretext for the Bush administration to intervene into Iran in some form, or they really do believe they aren't getting any support to hit the plants at Natanz, Arak, and Isfahan from the American State Department. Either way, these boys are gunnin' for bear.
The bombs won't be as-powerful as the ones dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in late-1945, but contamination is inevitable. The question is just how-widespread it will be if this is done. The operation will be carried-out by the Israeli airforce, and trail-flights to Gibraltar have begun. Hey, now all you kids don't have to wonder what the Cold War was like, since it's back. There's one going-on over Kashmir too, and both-sides (India and Pakistan) have nuclear weapons.
As they are in the region, this situation could be affected. North Korea's reaction could be extreme, but we don't know what it would be exactly. And, oh yes, arms-talkss between the North Korean regime and the US have stalled. If you're over-30, this all sounds familiar. It's what the news was like during the Cold War. Now the kids can anxiously look up into the skies like we did, and wonder when it's going to hit. Al-Jazeerah had this cautionary-note in May of 2003:
The Armed Services Committee voted to repeal a 10-year-old ban on the development of small nuclear weapons, those with a force of less than 5 kilotons (one-third the size of the Hiroshima bomb). Supporters of the measure, originated by the Bush administration, say that the weapons, known as tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs), are needed to go after Osama bin Laden and rogue leaders like Saddam and Kim Il Sung of North Korea who insist on seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. (Al-Jazeerah, 05.21.2003)
A shame, since much of this could have been avoided if America had engaged in real leadership on non-proliferation and the dismantling of nuclear programs worldwide. But, the Bush administration has shown a tendency towards the opposite-approach, and essentially created a new arms-race by disengagement from talks and international treaties that could have prevented proliferation. He's not-alone in Washington, there is plenty of blame to go-around on this one, but amazingly, it isn't Bill Clinton--he halted most funding for nuclear weapons research during the 1990s. In fact, Democrats have been good about this one, and attempted to fight the move to repeal the 1993 Spratt-Furse Amendment that banned testing of such "mini-nukes." They failed under the GOP-majority, but they tried.
There is no plan for a ground war in Iran, but it is expected that there would be a very tangible reaction from Iran, and political-instability with past regional allies like Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, etc.--thus the sudden need for this "troop surge." Yes, your President--not mine--is preparing for the very-first nuclear war. It sounds insane, because it is. This must have been one of many preconditions for Turkey to enter NATO, and eventually, the EU. Turkey will be allowing Israel to do overflights to strike the Iranian facilities. NATO seems to agree with Washington that limited nuclear-strikes can be sustainable for civilian populations. This is a flawed-logic (like "mutually-assured destruction" was), but will be implemented anyway for the pragmatic-concerns of preserving established power. Everyone could use a good dose or radiation, I just had one the other day. Smoke em' if ya' got em.'
THE Source:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2535310,00.html
The WHOLE Story on Tactical Nukes:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=%20CH20060103&articleId=1714
http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2003/12/09__wang_congressional-bills.htm
Al-Jazeerah:
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%20Editorials/May/22%20o/Playing%20with%20fire,%20%20US%20moves%20to%20scrap%20curbs%20on%20low-yield%20nukes,%20by%20Ed%20Blanche.htm
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