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Monday, April 26, 2010

The Exception That Proves the Rule?

The president claims that its nuclear posture and nuclear arms reductions--with the Nobel Peace Prize global stamp of approval--will set an example for other countries.

Well, other than China:

Writing in the Liberation Army Daily, a prominent Chinese military newspaper, retired Maj. Gen. Xu Guangyu argued that China needed a limited nuclear force capable of surviving and retaliating against a first strike by any adversary. The article marked another effort by the Chinese leadership to display greater openness in its nuclear declaratory policy, and reinforces other statements and indications that China has adopted a ‘second-strike’ nuclear policy based on a minimal deterrent.

Yet, these and similar statements still might not be enough to overcome the reluctance of some US and Russian officials to reduce their countries’ nuclear forces much further without greater evidence that China will join the nuclear disarmament process.

I'm sure that China will be the only country that doesn't swoon at the thought of American nuclear arms reductions and abolish their own so they aren't the last on the planet to sign on to the president's global vision of hope and change.