Vanunu: Israeli nukes push neighbor states to get atomic arms

[Paleocon]

LONDON - Israel's atomic weapons are pushing other countries in the Middle East to develop similar arms, nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu said Sunday.

He also said that tensions over Iran's nuclear activities were linked to the Israeli arsenal.

Iran insists its nuclear program is strictly for the generation of electricity. But the United States suspects the Middle East nation has a secret program to develop nuclear weapons, and has threatened to refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council for sanctions.

"Iran tried to put pressure on the world to deal with Israel," Vanunu told Sky News TV, defying a government order that bans him from talking to the media.

"Iran doesn't need, I think, atomic bombs. Iran doesn't want to fight any state with atomic bombs," he said. "But because the world ignoring Israel, that pushes Iran and other states to try to be equal with Israel."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/510345.html

[Lithos]

1. I disagree

I think the issue of nuclear arms is driven by other issues. In the case of Pakistan, it was India. In the case of Iran and formerly Iraq, it's the US that is the primary motivation.

[Paleocon]

2. You may be right, but whose interests are we protecting?

Iran didn't and Iraq doesn't have the capability to deliver WMD's to US soil.

Whose soil can they deliver to? Israels...

Who has a history of preemptive attacks in the region? (Besides the US.) Israel...

[Lithos]

4. There are a few others

I will exclude Israel, but France & the UK were part of the Suez issue in 1956 (w/ Israel). You have Syria attacking Lebanon. Iraq attacking Kuwait. There were other major conflicts which involved significant intervention by regional powers such as Egypt and Iran, these include the Dhofar civil war in Oman and the Yemen civil war in the mid 60's. Add to that tons of border skrimishes involving Libya/Egypt in the late 70's, Syria/Jordan in the late 60's and early 70's, Iraq and Kuwait in the 70's.

As for whose interests we are protecting? Initially it was the oil and energy interests, now after a period of time, it's grown to include banking (remember who owns 6% of the US) and defense. While the US has given a tidy sum of money to Israel and a smaller sum to Egypt, both are dwarfed by the amount of money we've spent in direct military expenditures to maintain a US military presence in the Middle East to protect Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, etc. and defend the oil supply lines.

L-

[Paleocon]

6. Good points...

:)

[Name removed]

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[newyorican]

5. Yeah but...

All of the explanations pale beside the overwhelming fact that possessing nukes keeps the 82nd Airborne & 3rd Calvary off of your door step.

[Paleocon]

7. That's a good point too...

That could be what's motivating these countries to develop nuclear weapons.