■"Brazil Agrees to Inspection of Nuclear Site: A compromise over access to a uranium enrichment plant," by Larry Rohter, New York Times, 20 October 2004, p. A6.
■"Nuclear Nightmare," op-ed by Robert Samuelson, Washington Post, 20 October 2004, p. A27.
The International Atomic Energy Agency gets permission from Brazil to fully inspect a nuclear enrichment plant. There had been some balking in the past, but guess what? It all happened with the UN Security Council, without any threats from Core powers, without any effort on the part of the Pentagon.
That's membership in the Core.
Bob Samuelson points out there are now 20,000 nuclear weapons in the world today, down from 65,000 during the Cold War. There's your peace dividend. There's your expanding Functioning Core.
Where do the nuclear dangers still remain? Inside the Gap and North Korea, that island of Gap-dom stuck in an otherwise stable northeast Asia.
North Korea is not a nightmare for anyone except North Koreans. Kim is the crazy uncle we keep in the New Core's attic—out of view, but kept alive with food now and then.
It's time to exorcise this monster in the attic, not continue to give into his pathetic efforts at nuclear blackmail.
| Permalink |
