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Protective Stupidity Rules Nuclear Policy

As published in the Victoria Standard: January 18, 2016

I share Justin Trudeau’s concern about North Korea's recent activities and nuclear proliferation in general. However, I must note that no one seems willing to comment publicly on the greater destabilizing hazard of Israel's growing arsenal of high-tech nuclear weapons, sophisticated delivery systems (including submarines) and sinister nuclear strategy.

I suggest Seymour M. Hersh’s excellent book, The Sampson Option; for those unfamiliar with the history of Israel’s nuclear program. Hersh contends that Israel developed nuclear weapons to secure U.S. military, diplomatic and financial support by threatening to use the bombs against the Arab states if this support was denied or significantly reduced.

Perhaps worse than the media’s indifference is the international pretense concerning the non-existence of Israeli nuclear weapons with full U.S. and Canadian support. As well, Israel enjoys a bizarre immunity to UN weapons inspectors who would actually find something to inspect; if they were actually allowed into the country.

A bit of historical perspective would dramatically increase peoples’ understanding of international events and focus attention on official duplicity and infidelity to the public interest. Nuclear states will only disarm when it is their interest to do so and no state can reasonably be condemned for seeking parity. To do so requires the sort of sophisticated hypocrisy that Orwell called, “protective stupidity.”