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Originally Posted by Strangelet
Of course they aren't entitled to nuclear weapons. No one is entitled to nuclear weapons and it makes me uncertain about the wisdom of our species to hear people make playground fairness arguments about something so threatening to our survival.
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Bad phrasing on my part. Equality was the issue I was pursuing.
"As entitled as any other nation is (or is not) entitled" is what I meant. (In which case of course your answer may still be no, for other legitimate reasons)
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Originally Posted by Strangelet
Would you be willing to live with a nuclear-armed Iran?
As much as I'm willing to live in a world with Sean Hannity and Sara Palin.
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Is "as much" a rhetorical device or do you really feel no more threat from a nuclear-armed Iran than from the existence of Hannity and Palin? (And can I be the first to suggest sanctions in a bid to eradicate the latter two?)
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Originally Posted by Strangelet
Diplomacy and sanctions *will* fail, and it always amazes me how much we still fawn over sanctions. I'm hard pressed to think of one example where economic sanctions achieved a single stated objective, let alone didn't further embolden and unite the target country against us, handing more power to their despotic regime.
However, there simply is no military solution. Its best for government analysts to start redrawing the risk board where in 30 years even countries like Somalia may be buying their uranium enrichment do it yourself kit. What is that world like? How does a free, democratic country defend itself?
Would there be such a thing as a free, democratic country in such an environment? That's what scares the shit out of me.
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I think you've summed up the dilemma well, and it's scary as hell.