Why is it okay that I can have an atom bomb, but you can't?

Because you are bigger and stronger and will beat me up if I try.

Iran signed the nonproliferation treaty, so, not cool.

On the other hand it’s not like anyone cares that Israel has an illicit nuclear weapon. And the Islamic Republic of Iran, unlike Israel, hasn’t actually started any wars in its history, so…

It’s not okay.

That is one of those imponderable questions with no good answer. No-one should have one.

Because Amuricuh…..that’s why. One place is essentially a bully and either pursuades another not to, or tells them not to.

Maybe we have pledged somewhere not to use any nuclear weapons without first the permission of the UN? Maybe the other countries have not been willing to pledge such a thing?

Nuclear weapons are enormous disasters waiting to happen rather than weapons. The countries that have them campaign for non proliferation but it would be better if the countries that don’t have them campaigned for nuclear disarmament. The countries with nuclear weapons are powerful enough not to need them.

This is not a position that is defensible on principle. However, people use ideals of conservatism and pragmatism to maintain the status quo—and this also justifies leaving things as they are; not changing.

I have the bomb. I’m cool with it. I know how to handle it. You don’t have the bomb. You shouldn’t have it because there’s no evidence you know how to be responsible with it. After all, you’ve never had it. Let’s just leave things the way they are, ok?

Oh, and by the way, if we don’t keep things the same, I’m going to have a BIG problem with that, and I already have the bomb, don’t forget. Don’t forget now!

It’s not okay.

It’s funny that we tell countries that they can’t have the bomb, yet we are the only country in the world to ever actually use it on people.

Can someone please provide evidence that Iran is actually trying to produce nuclear weapons? From what I have read, they are trying to develop nuclear energy, not nuclear weapons.

Because I want to kill you. God says I’m supposed to kill you.

@SquirrelEStuff

And you actually believe that???

@SquirrelEStuff,

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/world/un-details-case-that-iran-is-at-work-on-nuclear-device.html?pagewanted=all

Frankly, if I was Iran, I’d sure as hell want to develop nuclear weapons, what with the constant threats of military attack by Israel and the United States.

I strongly suspect that Iran wants hegemony over the entire Middle East, and that Saudi Arabia, and to a lesser extent Israel, stands in their way. This is probably the real reason they want the atomic bomb.

I’ve wondered the same thing. I also find it peculiar that people who believe that the US would be safer is every individual was armed and could protect him/herself, also believe that only some countries should have nuclear weapons. You’d think they would think the world would be safer if every country had nuclear weapons and could protect itself. I guess contradictions don’t matter if you’re sure enough about your own opinions.

I guess it depends on who defines what “OKAY” means.

It is OK because I have one and right now you don’t, soI make the rules,. Rule number one is, “I don’t want you to have one.”

An accident with a pistol doesn’t have near the impact that an accident with an atomic device does. One of my recurring nightmares is that the demented psychos running North Korea have atomic weapons and have decided that it’s time to use them. We tend to forget that the fallout ( both literal and figurative ) from atomic weapons has consequences for all of us way beyond their simply being used against the owners’ enemies.

We simply do not have the right to tell another country what they can & cannot do. The American government & the American military want things to be able to be controlled by the US in the other countries – but this is not possible – the US cannot afford to police the world. Iran is surrounded by countries that have atomic weapons, but they have been told that they cannot have atomic weapons. Iran has large quantities of oil, in a world that is hungry for oil, & they know that any country that suffers a drop in their supply of oil might think of insisting on Iran making up their short fall. We don’t like the government of Iran & Iran certainly knows this…..to me this would make Iran determined to develop atomic weapons in order to lessen their perceived vulnerability. We don’t have the right to control what Iran does, but I am afraid that is exactly what we are going to try to do.

@Linda_Owl

I tend to agree, but with at least one caveat.

Shit! I don’t have one. Where’d you get yours?

I think it is for the same reason no one hands out guns to unstable people. (they have to buy them at gun shows like everyone else)

@CaptainHarley, Iran may want hegemony in the Middle East, but I doubt anyone in Iran thinks that is remotely possible considering that much of the Middle East is Sunni, and is allied to one extent or another with the United States. If Iran had nuclear weapons, I fail to see how this would somehow translate into hegemony or even realistically expand their range of influence. Hell their biggest boon regarding influence was something we gave them: a Shiite dominated government in their neighbor Iraq.

I also think it’s BS to portray the Iranian regime’s leaders as raving lunatics. Khomeini doesn’t remotely approach the lunacy of North Korea. He’s not even a fanatical religious person (unlike his predecessor; Khomeini has always been a fairly pragmatic politician). There is very little the regime has done that doesn’t speak to a strong instinct for self preservation.

They want the bomb as a defense against military invasion by Western powers. This is an entirely rational position, since Western powers have repeatedly and credibly threatened to attack Iran. And Israel is apparently conducting an assassination campaign against Iranian citizens. Put yourself in the average Iranian’s shoes: what would you want Iran to do with atomic energy?

By the way, let’s also all keep in mind that Mousavi, the leader of Iran’s aborted “green revolution,” was even more hawkish in his desire to develop nuclear energy than Ahmadinejad.

@Qingu I could understand the cold logic of Iran wanting the bomb in light of threats of attack from the West but isn’t it because precisely for the reason that they are developing the bomb in the first place?

The US and Israel have had a pretty contentious history with Iran apart from reactions to their illicit nuclear program, going back to our support of the Shah and the hostage situation.

Their nuke program worsens those tensions, sure, and contributes to the feedback cycle of saber-rattling. On the other hand, it’s no different in theory from Cold War bluster, and you could argue that Iran is much less likely to use a nuke than the USSR because unlike the USSR the counterattack would be complete, unavoidable, and entirely one-sided.

I don’t think Iran should be dedicating resources to developing nukes. I support economic sanctions against Iran. At the same time, I don’t think we should be threatening Iran. I don’t think we should be infecting the world with malware (Stuxnet) that has the goal of destroying Iranian centrifuges. I also think we need to yank Israel’s chain and cut off aid unless it stops attacking Iran, because—assuming they’re behind the assassinations—their actions are completely unacceptable. If Iran stops feeling threatened and sees the choice as one between genuinely normal relations and economic sanctions, maybe they’ll decide on their own to stop developing weapons. And if they don’t, sanction them for violating the treaty. But stop threatening military action.

Why can’t I have it and you can?

Maybe because I keep saying it’s for peaceful purposes and yet I also keep saying this one country should be wiped out? And to be safe, instead of risking finding out whether I’m bullshitting or not, you would risk war with me now instead of later when I have the bomb? Am I right or am I right? : )

Calling for regime change on what you believe to be an apartheid state =/= nuclear genocide.