Great Power
Puzzle: Possessing Nuclear Weapons Prevents Attack
"The
international community failed to maintain sanctions against Pakistan when the
country tested its own atomic bomb. … And it is fair to ask: if Iraq had
possessed nuclear weapons, would it have been invaded? … Truman announced the
possibility of using the atomic bomb during the Korean War. Perhaps he didn't
because Russia already had nuclear weapons."
Mordechai Vanunu: Like some of the scientists on the Manhattan Project who leaked secrets to the Russians, Vanunu leaked information about Israel's nuclear program to the London Times to, in his words, 'prevent another Holocaust.'
There is speculation about an
Israeli attack on Iran's uranium enrichment facilities. U.S. Defense Secretary
Leon Panetta has told The Washington Post that “there is a high
probability” of an Israeli attack between April and June. Such an action which
would trigger a war of unpredictable consequences, and even if the attack
succeeded, it would only postpone nuclear weapons construction by a year or
two.
An example of the incoherence
of contemporary international politics is the “permission” the United States
provides certain countries, that they may possess nuclear weapons. Meanwhile,
the U.S. is the only nation to use atomic bombs against cities with no military
value. In the guestbook at Hiroshima's
Peace Memorial Museum, someone wrote: “Japanese: they deserve it. This is
our answer to the attack on Pearl Harbor.” And yet, even though Pearl Harbor
was committed without a formal declaration of war, atomic attacks on cities can
in no way be compared to an attack on a military naval fleet.
The international community
failed to maintain sanctions against Pakistan when the country tested its own
atomic bomb. Its political stability and democratic institutions are far from
the standards set by the exclusive “nuclear club.” And it is fair to ask: if
Iraq had possessed nuclear weapons, would it have been invaded?
Truman announced the
possibility of using the atomic bomb during the Korean War. Perhaps he didn't
because Russia already had nuclear weapons.
One cannot turn back the
clock of history. The atomic and hydrogen bombs exist and are capable of
destroying civilization, non-proliferation regimes are regularly violated and
sanctions for noncompliance vary depending on the geopolitical expediency
displayed by the leading powers.
The fear that a nuclear
strike could destroy both attacker and attacked explains why, since 1945, there
has been no direct confrontation between great powers. Such wars were more
frequent in the past.
Those who leaked information
to the USSR, allowing the country to in short order build the Bomb, had the intent
of ensuring that “mutually assured
destruction” would deter such a war.
It is a truism to say that
nuclear weapons are dangerous when in the hands of dictators. But history has
shown that they are also a hazard to democratic societies. It seems clear that
the Iranian nuclear program not only seeks energy-related applications, but
military ones as well. Israel, which has in the past attacked Syrian and Iraqi
facilities, citing the risk that they were being built for non-peaceful
purposes, has always neglected to mention that it owns a vast atomic
arsenal.
In 1977, the Dimora
industrial complex began enriching uranium. Edward Teller, the
controversial designer and promoter of the H-bomb, collaborated with the
Israeli government on the assembly of its nuclear facilities. This information
was published by the Sunday Times, after a rigorous process of verifying
the accuracy of the photos and statement submitted by Mordechai Vanunu - a
former employee at the complex.
His justification was to
prevent rapid nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. He said: “I felt it was
not about betraying; it was about reporting. It was about saving Israel from a
new holocaust.” As expected, the Israeli secret service, using a beautiful
agent as bait, took Vanunu captive and transported him to Israel. He was
sentenced to 18 years in prison for treason.
