POLITICS: Iran Rejects Kerry's Nuclear Proposal

Originally posted by Muaddib
Didn't we learn from what the Chinese did during Clinton's administration that the world is not going to disarm, not even if we do it first?.......

Muaddib, you are all over the shop. Espionage has nothing to do with a commitment to reduce the risk of nuclear war.

If there was something to learn from the Chinese leak during Clinton's administration, it is that we need to keep on our toes regarding the security of our sensitive technologies, period. Such diversions from our discussion are not helpful.

Some food for thought before you try to steam roll over my arguments with unfounded claims that efforts to demilitarize the world are pointless. The fact is, we aren't even trying.

Since you mentioned China, lets make a comparison with China.
China is the only nation on earth with a military expenditure even remotely in competition with ours.

In 1999, China spent 88.9 billion dollars on its military.
The US spent 281 billion.

Three years later, in 2002, China spent 51 billion. A reduction of close to 40 percent.
The US spent 348 billion. We increased our military spending by more than China's entire military spending for 2002 !

There is no argument you can make that can put a dent in these damning facts. The US is not competing with anyone in its deeper and deeper commitment to militarization. It is clearly making a bid to cement its world domination through the threat and/or use of force. With the new doctrine of preemptive strikes against any nation the US leadership perceives as posing a threat, or even as having the intent to become a threat, every nation on earth which wishes to march to its own tune without having to dance to Washington's has a vested interest in developing nuclear capabilities. Welcome to the new arms race.

U.

PS BTW, Iraq, which we so valiantly decided to invade after supporting its despot through his worst atrocities, ranks 61st in the world's list of largest militaries. Its military expenditure in 1999 was 1.25 billion dollars, or less than half a percent of ours. Its military was further crippled because of compliance to US-UN imposed restrictions on armament specifications.
America, land of the brave, or land of the bullies?

The Chinese were able to leak sensitive information from the biggest military spender in the world, but we were unable to capture even one tonne of the alledged WMD Iraq (a military gnat compared to us) was supposed to be stockpiling... Tell me there is hope for you. Tell me you smell a rat.