Bush signs away India's nuclear winter [US-India Nuclear Pact]

Times of India ^ | 19 Dec, 2006 0042hrs IST | CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

[kidd]

All the agreement does is to open up the India market to American nuclear industry.

Interesting timing. Japanese-owned (but American-operated) Westinghouse just sold 4 civilian nuclear power plants to China on Saturday.

Any thoughts?

[MunnaP]

Quote : Interesting timing. Japanese-owned (but American-operated) Westinghouse just sold 4 civilian nuclear power plants to China on Saturday. Any thoughts?


Providing new reactors to China or India even breeder reactors is not a big problem..Both are large fairly stable countries..Even in case of instability..they can keep their pants on...

The chinese have enough of nuclear warheads..The difference between chinese and russians or say Indians and russians is that the russians did not know where to stop in creating warheads....Chinese or the Indians would never make 10000 warheads..They would just stick to making 400/500 and stop..because they have a greater understanding of how power works..They have a different vision...
It would not make any difference to sell new reactors to China or India as they know how to build and operate reactors on their own...In buying from US they get a more safe and more cost effective product....America gets a chance to reduce the trade deficit...Good for everyone...

[Gengis Khan]

"Chinese or the Indians would never make 10000 warheads..."

You cant be 100% sure. Russia and America both made more then 10,000 warheads. Except that Russian economy was not in any position to handle an arms race of that scale. Russian fall was inevitable because their economy in no way could sustain an arms race, American economy could. You seriously think Chinese economy wont? Just because now they don't have more then 400-500 warheads you are saying they would never ever want to have more then this number tomorrow when they become economic superpower that catches up or surpasses US? How can you be so sure about their intentions? Remember there is no more a secretive society then China when it comes to revealing their real intentions.

Question: Why does US have 10,000 warheads?
Answer: Simple! Because they can!

You think China cant for no other reasons except because they simply don't want to?

[Fitzcarraldo]

This technology will wind up in the hands of the Islamics and/or Chicoms.

[Gengis Khan]

How so?

[MunnaP]

Question: Why does US have 10,000 warheads?


George Bush has declared intentions to reduce number of warheads to around 1800. More than that is a waste of resources...I can find the related news article if required.Americans are very pragmatic people in general...When Americans take that step...Everyone else would follow....
Once the large US west coast are cities are in the range of Chinese missiles, the Chinese would stabilize the number of warheads they have...
The missile defense initiative could change the equations again...

[CFC__VRWC]

Colin Powell was/is not pro-pak or anti-India..He is pro USA Colin Powell only..He is a pragmatist...He looks after US' his interests and nothing else..

Fixed it for you.

[MunnaP]

Here Here guys....

Let's keep the domestic laundry in the domestic washing machine...Whatever shortcomings Colin Powell has...he is still the face the whole world associates with the USA...So we got to hold him up a bit..Don't you think??

[Fitzcarraldo]

How so?

Show me a third world nation that isn't rife with corruption.

[CFC__VRWC]

Let's keep the domestic laundry in the domestic washing machine...Whatever shortcomings Colin Powell has...he is still the face the whole world associates with the USA...So we got to hold him up a bit..Don't you think??

Please explain that reasoning to the likes of Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, who never pass up an opportunity to attack and denounce President Bush on the world stage. And while Powell is an ex SecState, Bush is the current POTUS, and as such is much more the "face the whole world associates with the USA".

Powell has done little more than undermine Bush at every opportunity since he left the administration, and some legitimate arguments can be made that his pattern of undermining Bush started while he was still at State. He hasn't been as visible or vociferous as Carter and Clinton have been, but has caused at least as much, if not more, damage to Bush than those two have by means of his cachet as a putative Bush ally.

While Powell probably does have very real personal reasons to oppose his former boss on some issues, the fact of the matter is he operates in a media and bureaucratic environment where your worth is measured by the perceived depth of your hatred for George W. Bush and his policies. And Powell, being the skilled political operator he is, has to know how to behave in a manner that will benefit him the most.

Given that, I'd say criticizing his personal motivations is fair game, especially if we're going to permit the President to be personally savaged by the very people that Powell seeks to impress.

[Gengis Khan]

Corruption wasn't the reason why Pakistan, China or N Korea supplied nukes to other countries. Its part of their strategy to pass nukes to as many of America's enemies as possible to keep it tied down. Newer countries joining the club would get the world focus off N Korean and Pakistani nuke proliferation.

If corruption had been the reason why nukes were passed, India would have been a big time source of nuclear transfer. Which India is not. And tell me the rational of passing nukes to enemies. The Islamics and Chicoms are India's big enemies.

[Dead Dog]

The food ain't bad either.

[Gengis Khan]

I thought Britney Spears was the face the whole world associated with the USA.

Jokes apart, I don't think in a democracy anybody is above criticism, if its a fair one.

[Gengis Khan]

"George Bush has declared intentions to reduce number of warheads to around 1800..........
When Americans take that step...Everyone else would follow.... "

Is a completely wrong assumption.

The BMD would render a large arsenal as unnecessary. With more then 10,000 warheads US only has a kind of parity with the Soviet Union. With the BDM and the reduced arsenal size it would have an unprecedented nuclear superiority over the Russians. America is not "disarming", its only "rearming".

Which brings me to the point ..........

BDM would give a better reason for China to increase its nuclear arsenal unless it is very happy to perpetually remain under American nuclear threat. With their ever increasing defense budget I don't see China stabilizing the number of warheads either now or in future. If Chinese economy gets to a point where it can catch up or surpass America's why would they hold back and not go for a complete nuclear superiority (or at least a parity) over America?

[Gengis Khan]

And it wasn't just the third world. Israel got the nuclear technology from France (not a third world). Pakistan and NK got it from China (not a third world). Iran is getting it from Russia and China (neither of them are third world).

In fact its more "rife" in the "First World".

[Fitzcarraldo]

In fact its more "rife" in the "First World".

I must conclude you are correct. Sad, but true.