Saturday, December 2, 2006

1054 Vs. 1 but US still feels 'threatened'

It was the United States which detonated the first atomic test on July 16, 1945 with the code name 'Trinity'. It was the United States which dropped the first and only nuclear bombs to be dropped in history, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is the United States which has carried out more than 1054 tests by official counts, followed by Soviet Union with 715 tests, France 210, UK 45, China 45, India 6 and Pakistan 4. And it is the United States which ironically has the biggest problem when North Korea conducts a low-intensity test, citing strong-arm tactics of none but United States as reasons for conducting the test.
What should a country like North Korea do if it feels threatened? The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allowed only five states to own nuclear weapons. They are France, China, Soviet Union (now Russia), the United Kingdom and the United States. Incidentally, members of this Club of Five are permanent members of the United Nations as well. The big brother attitude of these states was evident during the UN Security Council Meeting as well where nobody was willing to give a patient hearing to the points raised by North Korea. After all, why should there be some 'nuclear haves' with the rest nations falling in 'have not' category? US will have to answer!
If the US is so serious, why is it not ratifying the comprehensive agreement that will take care of all aspects of nuclear technology? India, Pakistan and North Korea have till now rejected the CTBT blaming US which has signed the CTBT, but not ratified it. If certain countries want to set up comprehensive, all pervasive mechanism to monitor nuclear power states, why is US not agreeing to it?
The fact that treaties too have not been adhered to by these 'big five' was evident when the partial tests ban treaty, framed in 1963, which only permitted underground tests was not adhered to by France and China. France continued with atmospheric testing until 1974 and China carried on till 1980.
With US's policies on creating a unipolar world with itself as the leader and its enthusiastic fforts in the past to capture control on oil and gas known to the world, how a country feeling 'threatened' by the mighties power (some say 'goonda') of the world should reach needs to be debated now.
HOPE THE US JOINS IN THE DEBATE!

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