well, here is where the past may not be prologue. yes, there's been a potential threat out there for half a century, and yes, there's not much possibility of major Arab state intervention. But then, until September 11 there hadn't been substantial foreign terrorism on US soil, and it was shadowy substate actors who were responsible.
One of Friedman's quips in The Lexus and the Olive Tree was that in the age of globalization, where everything was connected and the ability to wreak havoc had been democratized, problems would stem not from a competing superpower, but from super-empowered individuals. The two examples he gave, interestingly, were John Merriwether and Osama bin Laden.
Anyway, I wasn't making a specific policy point. The "tekboy plan" is rather thin gruel. But I do believe that proliferation will continue over time, and that at some point nukes might well get into private hands. I would not want to have a billion people out for my blood at that point...
tb@startingtothinkuncwest'sbookmightcomeinhandy.com |
