Pakistan's nuclear weapons are already under US control, a well regarded intelligence journal has said. The journal Stratfor reported on Monday that the "United States delivered a clear Ultimatum to Musharraf in the wake of 9/11: Unless Pakistan allowed US forces to take control of Pakistani nuclear facilities, the United States would be left with no choice but to destroy those facilities, possibly with India's help." "This was a fait accompli that Musharraf, for credibility reasons, had every reason to cover up and pretend never happened, and Washington was fully willing to keep things quiet". This report came in the wake of a New York Times report that said the US had spent around $100 million to help Pakistan safeguard its nuclear weapon. So what do you think? Good news? bad news?
Personally 'if' the US was actually in control I would see it as a good thing, I however doubt this VERY much. Our own intelligence officals, other people in the government have said otherwise. No I do not have links at the moment, nor do I remember the exact specifics. It however was hardly us having control, in fact if I remember correctly we don't even know where they all are which was a huge problem.
The reports I read this morning, (TNN, Times News Network), has said that - " Over the past two weeks, since the crisis in Pakistan broke, US officials and analysts have been speaking in different voices on the subject of a jihadi take over of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. Some officials have expressed deep concern at the possibility and suggested the US is ready with contingency plans to defang Pakistan of it's nuclear weapons, while others have tried to assuage Islamabad by saying they believe the country's military rulers have good custodial control over their crown jewels" The other report says - "US not only has control over Pakistan's nukes, but in case of an emergency could use special forces to seize them from inside the Islamic state's territory." The US has been worried about Pakistan's nuke since the old Clinton days, when Clinton administration learnt that during Kargil war between India and Pakistan, Pakistan was ready to use Nukes against India, speculating that India might be doing the same. Clinton took the immediate steps and Told Nawaz Sharif (The then Prime Minister of Pakistan) that he disappointed US administration and he should immediately pull his troops off Indian soil. Had the Pakistan launched Nuclear missiles against India, it would have escalated to full nuclear war, perhaps involving Russia and China. In that case things would have gone out of control. So it doesn't surprise me if US decided to take control over Pakistan's nukes..
US probably has the control of most of the nuclear weapons in Pakistan. But I doubt if Pakistan has surrendered ALL its nukes to the US. They must be hiding some of them. Thats logical.
Let me remind you that the US is the only country to ever deploy nuclear weapons against another country, and it was done twice (Hiroshima, and then Nagasaki)! Everyone else has just tested their weapons, but not actually used it tactically in war/conflict. Going by track record, nuclear weapons are safer in anyone else's hand(s).
This is correct. US really Don't know where Pakistan's weapons are. Pakistan is now a mature country (in term of weapons) and the army knows how to keep our weapons secret. So the news u heard is false.
Whoa!!! The most stupid post of all! What would have happened if the Axis powers were let to have a go? All non-whites would have gone to the gas chambers including my people. And have you forgot how the then Japanese bombarded the Pearl Harbor without any prior notification following no war norms?!?!!?!?!?! Japan deserved it as a payback. In war and love, everything takes place beyond good and evil! Everybody talks about how US cruelly handled it. Have we forgotten how barbaric the Japanese were? In truth, Japan faced the consequences. Had it not been Japan it would have been Germany or Italy - either way human loss but ends justify the means!
Dont think so. Even If US has control it's a good thing , they would love to use it against Afghan and Iraq.
I disagree with you Dilip... There is considerable proof the US government was looking for a reason to enter the war. Japan responded to US harassments. The US fleet in Pearl harbor was directly threatening the Japanese Fleet, so it was attacked. This info has not been clearly released yet in order to avoid embarrassment, but every military strategist out there know the truth I agree Japan was very cruel. But when the atom bombs were dropped, Japan was already ready to surrender. This has been clearly documented. The Japanese Airforce was completely destroyed, Japanese navy was paralyzed. The US government dropped the bomb in order to intimidate Soviet Union. That is the truth. That is the reason why Harry Truman dropped atom bombs on Civilian areas, and tried to pass them on as Military bases to fool the people of America. That is the truth of the Atom Bomb. It is not a proud achievement. It makes us less human and more of a monster.
Sanctions are an act of war. There were oil sanctions levelled against Japan while it was at war. This provoked Pearl Harbor. The information is out there. If the current rules were in place then, dropping an atom bomb would be a war crime.
Slincon was merely stating a fact. But to take this subject one step further, Robert McNamara, the former US Secretary of Defence during the Vietnam War, and a key strategic individual during the bombing of Japan in WWII has already stated on record that the US actions against Japan were a "war crime". (His words, not mine)
I think you may be jaded, I don't know what version of the 'truth' you've heard, but if you go to Hiroshima you can see several letters from Truman discussing how the nuclear bombs need to be tested and that he could so no better place to test it then a country that has already resigned itself to surrender. Theirs also some very crass comments and racist generalizations made in the letter. The nuclear bombing of Japan was uncalled for, it was bent more upon showing off that such a weapon had been conceived and could be used - then actually resolving the war. Also India was a colony under British rule at the time, many of whom were drafted and forced to server in the British army as low-level soldiers. Several soldiers supported Hitler, not for his values but because they wanted Britain to get tied up in a war with Germany which would cause them to divert troops from India into England and Europe allowing for the Indian resistance to push the British out. Some soldier even fought for Germany with the intention that Hitler would later on drive the British out and give them sovereignty - of course this probably wouldn't have been. Even in war there are rules. Squashing ants from high above is not honourable or virtuous, and in case you didn't know America did not look favourably to India - and it wasn't the nuclear bomb that stopped Germany from succeeding. If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one. Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. J. Robert Oppenheimer quoting from the Bhagavad Gita upon the test detonation of the first nuclear bomb
For people who do not read the thread after the first post and hit the reply button http://www.volkskrantblog.nl/bericht/168072