During last Friday's class, we discussed nuclear weapons with a definite emphasis on the United States as a main player; in fact, in almost every example, the United States was involved. I have a brief point that I was thinking about during class, which is that, we, as the United States, pick who we are interested in as potential risks, and that is all that really matters. North Korea, Iraq, and Iran are the nuclear threats....and they also happen to be enemies and rivals of the United States.
I am very interested in Israel, as many have probably noticed by now, but I couldn't help thinking about Israel during last class. In the 1950's Israel began planning a nuclear-production spot in the Negev Desert in Israel (1). There is an interesting video that reveals the details, announced by Vanunu in 1986. Israel does not actually announce that they have nuclear weapons and the production is secretive within Israel, literally in the middle of the desert. Today, the production is a 'public-secret' because the existence of nuclear weapons is acknowledged. Although the United States has toured the Dimona site, they were unable to understand exactly the production capacity and the goings-on... it is believed that Israel could have up to 200 nuclear weapons(1).
This being said, I think it is interesting that no one talks about nuclear weapons in Israel, except Iran, which feels threatened by them. I believe that nuclear weapons are a measure of boldness and a means of showing the status of a country. When people mentioned disarmament, I thought about a country like Israel, where if they were to disarm, would probably be immediately attacked, a repeat of many wars past. Countries need to have this threat, even if no one will use them. It is all a 'game' of appearance of strength and of connections. We are allies of Israel, therefore it does not matter whether it amasses nuclear weapons and keeps them 'in secret' for the possible use on enemies.
VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf39qkvwOhU
1. http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke/
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2 comments:
wow Rebecca I think you bring a really interesting perspective to the table. As residents of the US of A we often forget about other countries' interests in our nuclear discourses. You also brought up something that I, being a staunch relativist, have considered many times: How do we, as a global hegemon, decide who can and who cannot possess or obtain nuclear capabilities?
I agree that we only consider nuclear weapons unnecessary when they are found in countries that are enemies/rivals. Yet this is somewhat discerning; if we are to be concerned with nuclear production, we should search for information regardless of the producers. Israel may be an ally who threatens only Iran, but that should not end our curiosity regarding their nuclear weapon arsenal. Though we do not need to know every detail (we may act as world police, but this is not actually our job...) it would be beneficial to have a more clear idea about the amount of weaponry found in Israel and other friendly countries.
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