March 28, 2005
Not With a Bang but a Whimper
I’m in the middle of Nevil Shute’s, “On the Beach”. I remember the omnipresent fear of global nuclear war, so it’s nostalgic for me, in a way. But it’s also still disturbingly relevant. The book presents a scenario where Albania nukes Naples, then Egypt uses the confusion to send Russian-built bombers to take out London and Washington, causing the US to mistakenly retaliate against Russia, which fires back at the US and also China, which then wipes out Russia…
The scientist said, "The trouble is, the damned things got too cheap. The original uranium bomb only cost about fifty thousand quid towards the end. Every little pipsqueak country like Albania could have a stockpile of them, and every little country that had that, thought it could defeat the major countries in a surprise attack. That was the real trouble.""Another was the aeroplanes," the captain said. "The Russians had been giving the Egyptians aeroplanes for years. So had Britain, for that matter, and to Israel, and to Jordan. The big mistake was ever to have given them a long-range aeroplane."
Maybe you can see where I'm going with this. During the presidential campaign, John Kerry tried to make an issue of the Bush administration's half-assed attempt to secure all the loose nuclear bombs, "...there's an enormous undone job to protect the loose nuclear materials in the world that are able to get to terrorists. ...the president will not secure the loose material in the Soviet Union - former Soviet Union for 13 years. I'm going to do it in four years. And we're going to keep it out of the hands of terrorists."
While Social Security paying out a mere 80% of benefits fifty years from now is tragic, it's not tragic in the same sense as a nuclear bomb going off in New York Harbor, or Norfolk, or Savannah, or Miami, or New Orleans, or Seattle, or San Francisco, or Los Angeles.
Then there's President Bush's plan to sell nuclear-capable F-16's to Pakistan. Seriously, if a President Kerry had authorized the sale of a nuclear delivery system to a fundamentalist Islamic country ruled by a military junta, he'd have been crucified - and rightly so.
I've heard Bush-fans say it's OK because the situation in Pakistan has changed. And it has, but not in a good way. Back when the embargo was put in place, we only suspected Pakistan might have nukes, today we know for sure that they do. Back then, Pakistan had a democratically elected leader, now it's ruled by a military dictator: the man who armed the Taliban and supported their conquest of Afghanistan, who allowed the A. Q. Khan network to spread nuclear weapons technology to other Islamic states, and who still refuses to allow US troops, agents, or reconnaissance planes to search for Osama bin Laden (remember him?) where he's hiding out... in Pakistan for Christ's sake!
It's stupid for the Bush administration to sell nuclear delivery systems to a fundamentalist Islamic military junta in return for a few tidbits of questionable intelligence on al-Qaeda. And if Bush is just doing it as quid pro quo for some help getting re-elected, it's absolutely criminal.
AP,
Great points! I’ve always had problems with our new “bed buddy”…Pakistan. I’m sure you will hear the perverbial “common enemies make strange bed-fellows”…but I can only disagree whole-hearteldly. We did the same thing with Iraq-Iran and Afghanistan-Russia. How did those pan out? If Clinton had made such a blunder I would have been just as disappointed….and the right wing would have been raising hell….but, this is BUSH…so, it must be okay with the right wing.
Posted by: Tom at March 28, 2005 05:19 PMStrange thing we gave weapons and financial help to Sadam and where did it get us— IN A WAR! Doesn’t anyone remember this?? Or does it fall in the realm of “Forgotten”
Posted by: Frankie Bruchis at March 28, 2005 06:09 PMFrankie,
If we supplied Sadam, how come the only weapons they used against us in two wars were Russian made?
Ron Brown:
“If we supplied Sadam, how come the only weapons they used against us in two wars were Russian made?”
You’re joking right?
There is no IF about the fact that we heavily supplied Saddam both with weapons and funding. In 1982 Reagan began selling helicopters to Iraq, and in that very year US helicopters were the ones Saddam used to spray both the Iranians and the Kurds with mustard gas and chemical weapons.
And even after we knew they’d done this monstrous thing, Reagan still sold them more weapons and allowed him to use our advanced technologies. Bush Sr. also aided and abetted Iraq right up to the very last moment before the invasion of Kuwait.
While you’re busy tying your yellow ribbons around everything to honor our soldiers who are fighting there right now, you might want to wrap your mind around this link.
A few choice bits by year:
1982
“Despite intelligence reports that Iraq still sponsored groups on the SD’s terrorist list, and “apparently without consulting Congress”, the Reagan Administration removed Iraq from the State terrorism sponsorship list in 1982.[3] The removal made Iraq eligible for U.S. dual-use and military technology.”
1983
“Reagan Administration secretly began to allow Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt to transfer to Iraq U.S. howitzers, helicopters, bombs and other weapons.[11] Reagan personally asked Italy’s Prime Minister Guilio Andreotti to channel arms to Iraq.”
1984
“In August, the CIA establishes a direct Washington-Baghdad intelligence link, and for 18 months, starting in early 1985, the CIA provided Iraq with “data from sensitive U.S. satellite reconnaissance photography…to assist Iraqi bombing raids.”“
1985
“Iraq’s Saad 16 General Establishment’s director wrote a letter to the Commerce Department (CD) detailing the activities in Saad’s 70 laboratories. These activities had the trademarks of ballistic missile development.[22]”
1986
The Defense Department’s (DOD) Under Secretary for Trade Security Policy, Stephen Bryen, informed the Commerce Department’s (CD) Assistant Secretary for Trade Administration in November that intelligence linked the Saad 16 research center with ballistic missile development.[23] Between 1985 and 1990, CD approved many computer sales to Iraq that go directly to Saad 16. CD approved over $1 million worth of computer equipment for sale to Saad 16 after Commerce received the above-mentioned November letter from DOD.[24] As of 1991 Saad 16 reportedly contained up to 40% U.S.-origin equipment.[25]”
1988
“Following the Halabja attack and Iraq’s August CW offensive against Iraqi Kurds, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed on 8 September the “Prevention of Genocide Act of 1988” the day after it is introduced.[31] The act cuts off from Iraq U.S. loans, military and non-military assistance, credits, credit guarantees, items subject to export controls, and U.S. imports of Iraqi oil.[32]
Immediately after the bill’s passage the Reagan Administration announced its opposition to the bill,[33] and SD spokesman Charles Redman called the bill “premature”.[34] The Administration works with House opponents to a House companion bill, and after numerous legislation compromises and end-of-session haggling, the Senate bill died “on the last day of the legislative session”.[35]”
1989
“James Baker received an SD memo stating that Iraq was diligently developing chemical, biological, and new missiles, and that Baker was to “express our interest in broadening U.S.-Iraqi ties” to Iraqi Under-Secretary Hamdoon.[53]”
“Although the CIA and the Bush Administration knew that Iraq’s Ministry of Industry and Military Industrialization (MIMI) “controlled entities were involved in Iraq’s clandestine nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs and missile programs … the Bush administration [approved] dozens of export licenses that [allowed] United States and foreign firms to ship sophisticated U.S. dual-use equipment to MIMI-controlled weapons factories”.[54]”
“By October 1989, when all international banks had cut off loans to Iraq, President Bush signed National Security Directive (NSD) 26 mandating closer links with Iraq and $1 billion in agricultural loan guarantees. These guarantees freed for Iraq hard cash to continue to buy and develop WMDs, and are suspended only on 2 August 1990, the same day that Iraq invaded Kuwait.”
1990
From July 18 to 1 August (Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2 August) the Bush Administration approved $4.8 million in advanced technology product sales to Iraq. End-buyers included MIMI and Saad 16. Mimi was identified in 1988 as a facility for chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs. In 1989 Saad was linked to CW and NW development.[57]
The Bush Administration approved $695,000 worth of advanced data transmission devices the day before Iraq invades Kuwait.[58]”
Overview:
“Items sent from the U.S. during the Reagan and Bush Administrations that helped Iraq’s non-conventional weapons programs and that were shipped to known military industrial facilities include:
Computers to develop ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons;[59] machine tools and lasers to extend ballistic missile range;[60] graphics terminals to design and analyze rockets;[61] West Nile Fever virus, a known potential BW agent, sent by the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC);[62] the agents for botulism, tetnus, and anthrax.[63]”
Great article, AP.
Posted by: Adrienne at March 29, 2005 01:50 AMYikes! Thanks Adrienne. That’s pretty comprehensive.
ya know, it’s kinda wacky that Bush doesn’t want the EU selling China second-rate military technology, but he’s willing to sell front-line fighter jets to Pakistan.
At some point - after we kick some of our foot-dragging Republican represetatives out on their sorry butts - someone is going to finally get serious about going after bin Laden (remember him?) in Pakistan. I can easily envision a situation where US forces face US-built Pakistani jets trying to protect their “territorial integrity” - as if they ever had any control over their borders anyhow.
BTW, Bush & Co. describe the sale as helping Pakistan confront terrorists. I can almost understand the naval reconnaissance planes that IIRC are part of the package, but the F-16 interceptors are a poor choice for the ground attack role (except for their ability to deliver nuclear bombs). I would think a dedicated ground attack aircraft, like the A-10 or the Apache helicopter would be a better choice.
I’m only feigning perplixity, of course. It’s obvious that India is the only possible opponent for the arms in the deal. Unlike India, the terrorists have neither an navy nor an air force… yet.
Yeah, well not only is King George selling planes to the Pakistanis, he’s allowing our computer technology to go to China. With the Chinese buying up IBM’s microcomputer technology, they’ll get all kinds of neat info. Hopefully, someone in this unresponsive, irreponsible administration will get some gonads and ensure the sale is not made.
Posted by: Eric at March 31, 2005 04:20 PM
