Katha Pollitt and Andrew Sullivan
Wow Andrew--Maybe there's something to your testosterone theory! Aren't levels supposed to be highest in the morning? No Viagra for you today. You'd drop the bomb on Salon.
PRINT
DISCUSS
E-MAIL
RSS
RECOMMEND...
Facebook
MySpace
Mixx
Digg
Reddit
del.icio.us
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Sphere
StumbleUponWhy are many upset over India's nuclear tests? The more countries have nuclear weapons, the more likely it is that some country will drop the bomb on its enemy of the moment--I should say, on the innocent civilians who have the misfortune to live in the territory governed by the enemy of the moment. Your assumption that nuclear weapons are defensive is problematic to me: don't forget the so-called preemptive strike, and why not the naked assault? In the case of India and Pakistan, it is incredible to me that you have no problem with the use of nuclear weapons in the struggle over the sovereignty of Kashmir, their big bone of contention right now. Does this really strike you as a cause that merits obliterating major cities with their entire populations, poisoning future generations and the atmosphere of the whole world, including the parts of it you breathe?
I would never defend France's nuclear capability--or indeed, any country's (after all, the US is the only nation that has actually dropped the bomb, so our govt.'s attempt to assume moral leadership on this issue is not so pure). But the fortunate fact is, France has no territorial disputes with other countries. Like Great Britain, it wants to look like a more major power than it really is--that's stupid, but not an imminent danger. But Iran and Iraq? Serbia and Croatia? The Middle East? Deterrence (maybe) was a logical theory when there were only two power blocs. But now there's a free-for-all--dozens of civil wars going on at every moment, in addition to all those two-nation conflicts. Lots of unstable, weird governments--like the Hindu fanatics currently running India. And lots of governments--Iran and Iraq--that are perfectly willing to slaughter millions of their own citizens to achieve some trivial piece of geography.
So I think the delicate calibrations of deterrence theory--the assumption that each govt. wants to protect its population, for example--aren't so relevant to the post-Cold War world.
Coming to you live from the fallout shelter,
Katha
After Fort Hood, There's No Excuse for the Ban on Women in Combat
What Does "Stable Condition" Mean? Absolutely Nothing.
Jim Carrey's Admirably Restrained Scrooge
The Great New Single That's a Little Bit Whitney Houston and a Little Bit Rusted Root
Joe Biden Explains His Gaffe-Evasion Strategy
The Box: A Creepy, Confusing Thriller From the Guy Who Brought You Donnie Darko
