[ RadSafe ] "Countdown to Zero" disarmament movie

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

Actually, should Iran be able to obtain or produce a nuclear warhead
capable of being launched on a missile (a seriously non-trivial
technical achievement, even when compared to the difficulty of making a
nuclear explosive device), Iran becomes a credible threat to the United
States.  Iran has developed the ability to launch ballistic missiles
from ships (not a particularly difficult task, particularly if your
targeting parameters are "east-ish").  A single very high altitude
nuclear explosion over the continental US would produce an EMP whose
effects are almost impossible to calculate.  

That being said, we are nothing like at a place where panic is the best
option.  As we as a community have been telling the general public for
years, nuclear reactors do not equal nuclear bombs, either as reactors
exploding or spent fuel being easily turned into nuclear weapons.
International oversight of Iranian reactor operations should be able to
spot if materials and facilities are diverted for weapons use.  If the
inspectors are kicked out, that will be an important data point.  

As for more direct action; at this point I don't see any realistic
options.  Any type of preemptive military action would be difficult to
accomplish, and have serious international ramifications.  Speaking as
someone who was out at the pointy end during the Cold War, saber
rattling seldom improves things. 

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Steven Dapra
Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 7:17 PM
To: radsafe at agni.phys.iit.edu
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] "Countdown to Zero" disarmament movie

Aug. 15

         The Europeans can fight their own battles.  Iran poses no 
threat to the United States.

Steven Dapra



At 04:44 AM 8/15/2010, Demetrios Okkalides wrote:
>Of course. The US had to use everything at its disposal to win the war
and
>the first obligation of any president is to his own people.
>
>My remark referred to a reality not to a moral view. That is why, as
much as
>I would hate to see an Iran with a nuclear weapon which could threaten
>Europe, I still see their point of view. It is this principle of
nuclear
>deterrence that drives them since now they feel vulnerable against
Israel or
>the US. If things come to that, they know that they can not deter a
possible
>nuclear attack.
>
>I quite agree with your "bottom line". The nukes are here to stay and
it is
>up to all of us to make them as safe as possible since they are
necessary
>for the well being of modern societies. The solution to  humanity's
problems
>does not lie in the past but in the future with new, better, safer
>technology. Of course there will be risks but we have to deal with
them.
>
>
>
>Demetrios Okkalides
>THEAGENEION Anticancer Hospital
>Thessaloniki
>Greece

[edit]

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