Be Seeing You (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

[Wonderment]

Originally Posted by AemJeff

"There is no sane reason for anyone to possess nuclear weapons." Why should we prevent someone else from doing so?

I don't think you have a consistent position here, man.

It's consistent. Imagine you're in high school and most of the gang kids have guns and are affiliated with either the Cripps or Bloods. You go to the Cripps head gangster and say, "I need a gun to be safe from you guys." The gang thug can say, 1) If you try to buy a gun, I will personally blow your brains out and sic my minions on your entire family or 2) "Since we thugs have guns, I suppose it's only fair that you have one too. However, guns are a scourge on our entire culture. Far better for everyone to give up their guns. Tell you what, if you promise not to buy a gun, we Bloods will talk to the Crips and turn in all our guns. Just give us a little time."

Option 2 is the essence of the NPT and perfectly consistent with full disarmament. The USA and Russia (among others) are, however, in non-compliance.

Good luck, btw, with universal disarmament. The physics is getting to be old hat. Each passing decade lowers the bar, increases the ease with which these things can be made. What do you propose to do when the technology becomes easily accessible by moderately sophisticated non-state actors? It will be, eventually

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That makes my case more, not less, persuasive.