Never Again? How the War in Iraq Spurred a New Nuclear Arms Race

[struggle4progress]

Nuclear Superpower Madness
Published on Friday, August 5, 2005 by the lndependent/UK
Never Again? How the War in Iraq Spurred a New Nuclear Arms Race
As the world marks the anniversary of Hiroshima, Iran is poised to go nuclear amid a new global arms race

by Anne Penketh

<snip> In the light of the war on Iraq, which did not have nuclear weapons, second-tier nations have judged that North Korea was spared invasion because of its nuclear deterrent, and drawn their own strategic conclusions. <snip>

The review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by 189 states collapsed two months ago amid recriminations and accusations that the nuclear five had no intention of living up to their treaty commitments to pursue nuclear disarmament. <snip>

The big five have always been open to the charge of hypocrisy. Behind the rhetoric of disarmament, they have tried everything in their power to prevent second-tier powers from obtaining nuclear arms, while clinging on to their own nuclear arsenals despite strategic cuts. Both the US and Britain are upgrading: the Bush administration is developing nuclear "bunker busters" that can strike deep underground, while Britain has ordered a new generation of Trident missiles. <snip>

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