Has the U.S. secretly approved the "Islamic Bomb" created by

[KlatooBNikto]

Pakistan's A.Q.Khan and allowed Pakistan to share it with countries like Saudi Arabia/I am asking this question because Bush has allowed his bosom buddy Musharraf to pardon A.Q.Khan and has not made any waves about Saudi Arabia's openly stated intent to acquire nuclear weapons.I smell a rat, a nuclear rat at that.

[The Magistrate]

1. As A Point Of Curiousity, Sir

What do you expect would follow from that, if true?

[KlatooBNikto]

2. If true,Islamic nations will form a coalition against non Islamic nations

like Israel and India, two of the region's military and nuclear powers.By creating endless destabilization, we stand to benefit as the supplier of arms to all the countries involved, as the recent decision to supply F-16 aircraft to both India and Pakistan shows.In addition, India stands to receive the Patriot Missile system.

[The Magistrate]

3. Do You Really Think So, Sir?

Any nuclear exchange would bring practical hostilities to a quick end, and produce a stable state of affairs. The two areas you mention are already chronically unstable, and an excellent argument can be made that, in the case of India v. Pakistan, the presence of nuclear weaponry on both sides tends to have the effect of increasing stability, by rather raising the stakes in the event of hostilities being pushed beyond the inevitable border clashes. The amounts of money involved in the arms contracts you envison are trivial, not even of too great a signifigance for the companies involved.

[KlatooBNikto]

4. I suggest you read the NYT article on this issue two days ago.Far from

being trivial, Lockheed Martin thinks that the sale of F-16 to India can keep its entire production line humming for at least a decade if not longer. In the beginning at least 125 F-16s at $35 million per copy are involved, not a trivial amount in anyone's calculations. With spare parts, weaponry and other electronic Countermeasures India is seeking the contracts are worth several billion dollars.India is also seeking to enter into a technology exchange program with Lockheed to add many more billions to this basic contract. As a country that spends well in excess of 15-20 billion dollars in arms purchases abroad India is a prize that the French, British and the Russians are going eagerly after.If Lockheed lands that it will be a big feather in Bush's cap.