Is Brazil Developing the Bomb?

Brazil has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, but experts suspect it may be working on a nuclear bomb. The country is allowed to legally enrich uranium for its nuclear submarines, but nobody knows what happens to the fuel once it is on restricted military bases.

In October 2009, the prestigious American periodical Foreign Policy published an article titled "The Future Nuclear Powers You Should Be Worried About." According to the author, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Burma, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela are the next candidates -- after Iran -- for membership in the club of nuclear powers. Despite his interesting arguments, the author neglected to mention the most important potential nuclear power: Brazil.


Nowadays, Brazil is held in high esteem by the rest of the world. Its president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has become a star on the international stage. "That's my man right here," US President Barack Obama once said, in praise of his Brazilian counterpart. Lula, as he is known, can even afford to receive Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with all honors and demonstratively endorse his nuclear program, for which Iran is now ostracized around the world.

Lula da Silva's self-confidence is indicative of Brazil's claim to the status of a major power -- including in military terms. The military claim is reflected in the country's National Defense Strategy, which was unveiled in late 2008. In addition to the mastery of the complete nuclear fuel cycle -- which has since been achieved -- the document calls for the building of nuclear-powered submarines.

www.spiegel.de...

Isn't one innocent until proven guilty ?

The only one proven guilty has the most nuclear bombs of all. So why can't Brasil have one.

If I'm correct Brasil has a not been in a war the last few decades.
That they want to develop a bomb is worrying. Why ?

Are they expecting they are going to need it ?

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


Brazil has traditionally been involved in the continental wars of South America, and could use nuclear weapons as the sort of threat that ends unwanted foreign interference in the UNASUR nations.

en.wikipedia.org...

p.s. the Russian Federation still possesses the most nuclear bombs of any country (according to official reports anyway).

reply to post by SmedleyBurlap


Thank you for correcting me

I must ad that I'm against any nuclear bomb development. But as things are now, people usually point there finger before realizing that the one that told is the same one that developed it first, used it first and profits the most.

Cause the thread of nuclear annihilation isn't really cutting it anymore when everyone else has one to.

My understanding is that Brazil went down the path once before, but was dissuaded by the idea because it would lead to a South American arms race - Argentina has stated previously that it would not tolerate a nuclear armed Brazil and would look to develop its own weapons.

I highly doubt Venuzuela would sit idly by should Brazil go nuclear either. Chavez's ego would want to make him a player.

We live, as they say, in interesting times.

reply to post by SmedleyBurlap

the Russian Federation still possesses the most nuclear bombs of any country (according to official reports anyway).

Not to mention the most destructive ones.

Russia - Estimated Destructive Power ~2030 megaton

U.S. - Estimated Destructive Power ~1800 megaton

NTI: Stockpile Chart

Brazil and SA will be a rising force and economic power in my generation. Brazil is already energy independent through their ethanol and sugarcane. If they get nuclear weapons they will be a superpower to reckon with in my opinion. Good for them!

What would happen if one hit Amsterdam.

Little Boy | 1945 op Hiroshima l 15 kiloton
Fat Man | 1945 op Nagasaki : 21 kiloton
Joe-4 | The first hydrogen bomb from the Sovjets: 400 kiloton
Tsar Bomba | The biggest explosion in recorded history : 50.000 kiloton
B61 | Combat ready delivered by combat airplane: 340 kiloton
DF-31 |Combat ready delivered by cruise missile : 140 kiloton

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d4b5874e7319.jpg[/atsimg]
The left : Little Boy 15 KT The right : DF-31 140 KT

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ce864587b22f.jpg[/atsimg]
Left : Joe-4 400 KT Right : Tsar Bomba 50.000 KT

From vaporised or death in 24 hours to skin burn from radiation.

The center of the circle to the edge of the tsar bomba is 40 to 45 kilometers

The immediate effects are felt within a radius of about 100 km.

reply to post by neformore


I think that a nuclear-armed Lula would benefit more from unity with Morales, Chavez and Argentina than from co-operating with the old Euro-American imperialists. The fascists have left South America, and their manufactured controversies and wars are gone with them. South America is on the road to unification, and I am sure that any Brazilian weapons program would be useless if it did not co-operate with all S. American militia.

P.S. I think that the real benefit of nuclear weapons testing is not to prepare for war, but to study the type of physical activity within the hearts of stars - - a nuclear bomb is more useful as a laboratory than as a weapon.

[edit on 12-5-2010 by SmedleyBurlap]

My GF is Brazilian, and she sure does know a LOT about the politics over there, and no such thing is even close!

Brazil has only 4 nuclear power's with low use (becouse hydroelectric powerhouses are far more effective there).

BUT because Brazil supports democracy and liberty (including free speech) and its now in process of helping Iran on nuclear energy as source of electricity (as intermediary of the technologies involved), the US and other powers are upset, because they WANT the world to perceive Iran as a threat and not an independent nation.

So how can they manipulate the population? "Drop" this info in the media that Brazil wants to develop nuclear weapons to discredit the president's work.

Maybe the OP doesn't know but he is doing this type of dis-info right here.

reply to post by lifeinthematrix


As a Brazilian myself, I couldn't agree more with you.


And just to add a thought:

I wish we WERE developing a nuclear bomb.


There was a presidential candidate in the past called Eneas Carneiro - which was a doctor, cardiologist if not mistaken - that argued that it was important to develop the Bomb. Not to make war, but to make a point: "Why only a few countries can??"
For obvious reason, he was called insane, nut-case, and fell into oblivion.
I think it was 2 years ago he died of cancer.
He was a REAL patriot.



Peace