Still, even if the deterrence line makes no sense, I've read some argue that having nukes will make Tehran or Pyongyang secure and so act more rationally. Nukes will make each a "responsible" power, awe struck with the gravity of their weapons.
So has that been the result of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal?
Well, the Pakistanis continue to make deals with jihadis in their midst and refuse to confront the Islamist killers who make no secret of targeting the Pakistani government. And why does the Pakistani government do this?
The Pakistani government wants to avoid a wide scale war in the tribal areas, fearing this would weaken the armed forces, and make Pakistan more vulnerable to conquest by India. This ignores the fact that Indian media have never run with the "let's conquer Pakistan" story, because no one in India wants to acquire the political, social and economic mess in Pakistan. But it's become an article of faith in Pakistan that India is a threat, even though Pakistan now has nuclear weapons.
And Pakistan isn't even full-blown nutso state like the North Koreans or Iranians. And yet even the Pakistanis can't accept that having nuclear weapons deters India from conquering Pakistan. I mean, as I've noted before, what's the point of Pakistan having nuclear weapons if not to deter India's superior conventional military?
This is a sign of what Iran and North Korea would be like if they get nukes. These two Axis of Evil states will still fear us. Still lash out. And still feel insecure. Because their fear is not based on rational calculations of our intent to invade them.
So if we fail to stop the two remaining Axis of Evil state, we'll eventually have two nut states with nukes, still paranoid as ever. What could go wrong with that?
Have a lovely freaking day, eh?
