Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Nuclear Obama


By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times

"Talk about terrorist threats was thin disguise for the call for sanctions on Iran, the real target of US President Barack Obama's 47-nation gabfest on nuclear security this week. And while there is no clarity on how much further the US will cut its formidable atomic arsenal, Obama's vision of a "completely nuclear-free world" is the stuff of dreams for the Pentagon and its growing strategic non-nuclear firepower....

The show, meanwhile, must go on. Next month comes the UN conference dedicated to the five-year review of the NPT. Obama will be on top of this review - which is already being spun in Washington as an "effective strategy" to contain Iran.

So one should expect more Obama administration pressure over reluctant China and Russia - instead of Obama showing real "Nixonian deftness" by offering carrots (and not only sticks) as well as trying to address Tehran's absolute (and not unfounded) paranoia of an US bent on regime change.

And as for Washington talking about a "completely nuclear-free world" - that's the stuff (non-Pentagon) dreams are made of. "

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