Posted on 08/20/2005 2:02:28 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick
WASHINGTON: Pakistan may produce enough weapons grade uranium by the year end in an attempt to match India’s nuclear capability, according to a leading US think tank.
Pakistan, in a bid to gain parity with India, could produce "enough enriched uranium to manufacture 50 to 110 nuclear weapons" by the year-end, said the study by 'Carnegie Endowment for International Peace'.
It said both countries possessed components to deploy a small number of nuclear weapons within a few weeks, with fighter-bomber aircraft being the most likely delivery vehicle, the media reports said.
Pakistan’s nuclear weapons were stored in components, with the fissile core separated from the non-nuclear explosives, the study said, adding it was not known where the fissile material and warheads were stored.
It criticised US for signing the nuclear pact with India, saying "President (George W) Bush thus accorded India a much sought after seat in the responsible nuclear club".
It said Bush administration had decided to downplay nuclear non-proliferation concerns so that it could renew defence ties and establish strategic relations with India.
Hmmm...is there a best case scenario for Pakistan that doesn't involve something terrible happening? Right now we have a 'benign' dictator trying to hold down a population and an army that seem to favor our enemies.
I think we made a smart ove by siding with India, which represents democracy [albeit flawed], Hinduism [it's not Islam] and the future [no qualifiers], but Pakistan remains a festering wound to be dealt with some how. Any ideas? [Beyond 'nuke it'?]
"Any ideas? [Beyond 'nuke it'?]"
Well, there goes my idea.
How about attacking them with Love?
Nuking a country next to the two most populous nations on Earth doesn't seem like much more than a very last resort idea.
"Nuking a country next to the two most populous nations on Earth doesn't seem like much more than a very last resort idea."
OK, then we should get Hans Brix to write them a letter telling them how angry we are with them.
Washington, August 19: The United States has expressed 'serious concern' over anti-Christian and anti-Jewish passages in Pakistani textbooks and termed them as "unacceptable and inciteful".
The issue is a matter of concern for the US even though Pakistan is in the process of reviewing the educational system, State Department spokesman Sean Mccormack said.
"These type of reports are of serious concern to us," he said referring to reports in a section of the US media that 'jihad' was still a part of school curricula in Pakistan.
The United States has specifically raised the issue of "unacceptable and inciteful" textbooks with the Pakistan government.
"We have engaged the Pakistani government on this issue, specifically on the issue of textbooks and language that, upon reading it, was clearly, clearly unacceptable and inciteful or would cause people to perhaps lash out with violent actions and encourages people to do that," Mccormack told reporters here.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1467135/posts
That was the point of my original post...to see if anyone had any ideas beyond those two extremes. If nuking them is the only option then we ned to get ready for that.
[Although, even getting Blix to write them a letter would be more than we seem to be doing now]
Correction: the Pakistanis are virulently anti-American, anti-Western, anti-civilization, and *are* our enemies.
The president, whatever his 'true' feelings, seems to be holding back the population and the army from doing more to help the Taliban. That's what I meant, and what I wrote. Is the President "virulently anti-American, anti-Western, anti-civilization, and [..] our [enemy]"?
Well if I had a choice between India and Pakistan, I'd pick the more sane India every time. Also India is a potential ally against China, I'll take that over Pakistan any day.
Amen to that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.