Article

2009-09-28 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Gates: Too Late to Stop Iran From Making Nuclear Weapons

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Posted by Anonymoose 2009-09-28 18:28|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ] Top

#1 Gates merely states the obvious. The fact is that there simply isn't a peaceful way of stopping Iran, North Korea, or any other nation that is intent on getting a few nuclear weapons. The best solution I see is to let the nation(s) with the most at state take things in their own hands. Israel will stand up to the task with any one of it's neighbors, but there doesn't seem to be anyone willing to take the risk. The question im my mind is who will stand up to Syria, Venezuala and others as they acquire their own nukes. The technology, long out of most nations hands, is becoming more and available. There is no long term plan here, at least that I'm aware of. Within 30 years, the number of nuclear nation could exceed 20. Detent will reach a magnitude never seen before. One nut job blows and the ripple effect could be bigger than ever imagined during the Cold War. Not just USSR and US targets, but a ripple effect could spread over every continent.

Posted by Richard of Oregon 2009-09-28 19:28|| 2009-09-28 19:28|| Front Page Top

#2 There was never any way to prevent any country from getting nukes. The trick is to get them from using them. MAD worked with the Ruskies because they were no longer revolutionaries by the time they got the Nukes. I doubt the Norks are revolutionaries. But the Persians are. They will use them or give them to terrs to use or use them and appear to be terrs. In any case, we should let them know that if any nuke goes off and we don't know where it came from via radar/satellites, we'll assume it came from them and we will destroy every living thing in their country. Pour l'encouragement d'les autres.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2009-09-28 19:34|| 2009-09-28 19:34|| Front Page Top

#3 Too late if you haven't the stones to do what needs to be done. Whomp them and stand back and let them figure it out. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

Posted by gorb 2009-09-28 20:25|| 2009-09-28 20:25|| Front Page Top

#4 And I'm sure the US knew this was coming long, long ago.

Posted by gorb 2009-09-28 20:25|| 2009-09-28 20:25|| Front Page Top

#5 Which makes me wonder what the US was so afraid of. And still is.

Posted by gorb 2009-09-28 20:31|| 2009-09-28 20:31|| Front Page Top

#6 Where is the electricity coming from that runs these centrifuges? It has to be consuming something above 10% of their national ability to generate power.

It can't possibly take more than 100 sorties to turn off their ability to generate and transmit electricity. Plus another 100 sorties for air superiority while it is done.

Send a diplomatic note through the the Russians and Chinese. If they don't verifiably dismantle everything, then send their country back into the 19th century. It's not the 12th, but it will do for today.

Posted by rammer">rammer 2009-09-28 21:04|| 2009-09-28 21:04|| Front Page Top

#7 The question is what are they going to use their enriched U235 for? Making weapons out of uranium fissile material is not suitable for air or space delivery.

Here's my WAG. I think that they are making U235 for a third party, like the Norks, to make into Pu239. From there it can be made into cores and nuclear weapons to stack on missiles. The Bushehr reactor is too vulnerable for the job.

Or the Iranians are building some terror weapons, which would be a DS thing to do. But firing off Shahab-3s in tests is just another way to intimidate.

Whatever their aims are, they have made enough serious threats to many of us that they must be dealt with. It is too bad that the Big O is on the side of the MMs. The people need support, and the US, by word and deed (even covertly) has failed them.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2009-09-28 21:21|| 2009-09-28 21:21|| Front Page Top

#8 Wouldn't U235 make a simply wonderful dirty bomb? Released as dust in a crowded tunnel or perhaps Grand Central Station...

Posted by CrazyFool 2009-09-28 22:11|| 2009-09-28 22:11|| Front Page Top

#9 for dirty bomb, U323 would work just fine. it doenst have to actually be dangerous, but the absolute public hysteria of 'oh m god, they dusted us with radioactive uranium' would be fit the terror motif just fine. and the cost of cleaning up... staggering

Posted by abu do you love ">abu do you love 2009-09-28 22:30|| 2009-09-28 22:30|| Front Page Top

#10 er... U232. little dyslexic typing there

Posted by abu do you love ">abu do you love 2009-09-28 22:31|| 2009-09-28 22:31|| Front Page Top

#11 Strange. The SecDef says Iran is building nuclear weapons. The CIA says they definitely are not, and that Iran stopped its program in 2003. The intelligence services of Israel, France, and Germany side with the SecDef.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/middleeast/29nuke.html

The CIA is nothing.

Posted by Maggie Ebbuter2991 2009-09-28 23:46|| 2009-09-28 23:46|| Front Page Top

#12 So, translation:

Nonproliferation is a crock. Any country that really wants nuclear weapons can have them and there isn't squat anyone is going to do about it.

Posted by crosspatch 2009-09-28 23:47|| 2009-09-28 23:47|| Front Page Top

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