[fporretto]

I can't agree with Krauthammer's evaluation of Saddam Hussein as "irrational." Evil, yes; but although he's a gambler, Hussein doesn't set out on irrational quests. He seeks to enhance his own wealth, power and status, and does only those things that he sees as good bets for those stakes.

For more thoughts, please see:

Raising A Clenched Fist

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com

[Fudd]

India and Pakistan... [did] not go nuclear... Why? Many reasons, but perhaps the most important was, paradoxically, the nukes themselves.

I read an article in my paper about this issue. The author's thesis was that multinational companies put the pressure on the Indian government to tone down the war of words. These companies have based a lot of their technical infrastructure in India, and communicated to the Indian government their desire for a stable business environment. The Indian government decided that they like the multinationals more than they hate the Pakistanis.

In reality, I think there are a good many reasons why the Indians and Pakistanis didn't go to war. Nukes, business, politics, and allies all figured in to the equation.

[Prodigal Son]

It's not just "What will Saddam do with the nukes?".

It's what will Saddam's offspring do with them? What if the next guy to be the leader of Iraq is even crazier? What if Saddam decides to sell these weapons to al Qaeda? Or to the Palestinians? There's lots more to this question than just is Saddam crazy enough to do it...