tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20537576.post5583751841011939987..comments2023-11-03T04:37:43.106-07:00Comments on Security Dilemmas: Obama's Foreign PolicySeth Weinbergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120373717676117647noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20537576.post-34871100128429654642007-04-27T01:07:00.000-07:002007-04-27T01:07:00.000-07:00what is crazy is that for all the talk about the i...what is crazy is that for all the talk about the improving conditions in Iraq, they are not counting people who died in car bombs as part of the statistic. They only count bodies that are found in the streets, so by that measure, things do appear better but in fact, more people on average have been killed since the surge.Subalternatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17294820273892711205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20537576.post-32808172971209180392007-04-26T11:07:00.000-07:002007-04-26T11:07:00.000-07:00I also felt encouraged by Obama's speech to the Ch...I also felt encouraged by Obama's speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. I especially liked the part where he says that he believes that America is still the best last hope of the earth. I think that this speech will earn him a lot of votes for the <A HREF="http://www.isupportthismessage.com/messages/category/1/" REL="nofollow">2008 presidential race</A>. I showed that he is capable when it comes to US foreign policy.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04288242825008748541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20537576.post-79603334323727720652007-04-25T17:35:00.000-07:002007-04-25T17:35:00.000-07:00Building a bit off of Matthew's earlier argument, ...Building a bit off of Matthew's earlier argument, it's not so much that an international fuel bank would deter nations bent on nuclear weapons capability from pursuing it, but rather that it would leave states like Iran, which claim that their nuclear development is for purely peaceful purposes, bereft of credibility. The international community (in the expansive sense of the term, meaning citizens as well as governments) would give little credence to the notion that nations developing high-level nuclear fuel production technology were doing so for legitimate purposes. It would force countries like Iran to pay market value for their politics.Matt Eckelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01521606439967262492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20537576.post-82414466136409159252007-04-25T16:16:00.000-07:002007-04-25T16:16:00.000-07:00I'm encouraged by Obama's remarks.It has stands of...I'm encouraged by Obama's remarks.<BR/><BR/>It has stands of Kennedy, I think: unabashedly strong, and with no trepidation about maintaining American military supremacy. But also respect for int'l institutions, improving diplomatic relations and addressing issues related to poverty.<BR/><BR/>My instinct is that a lot of US voters would support a mainstream Democratic contender in '08 if they received an affirmative answer to this question: "Will you, when all else fails and our security is at stake, decisvely pull the trigger?"<BR/><BR/>If Obama can give can answer affirmatively, I like his chances.Matt Bondyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07051875892264945354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20537576.post-41535456638183884362007-04-24T20:37:00.000-07:002007-04-24T20:37:00.000-07:00The concept of an international "fuel bank" is not...The concept of an international "fuel bank" is not Obama's (Lantos has legislation pending on it), and it certainly is not a new one. The DOE under the Bush administration has embraced a variation of it in its GNEP initiative ("Global Nuclear Energy Partnership"). <BR/><BR/>Isn't it the idea to pass along only LEU to states that have verifiably forgone the fuel cycle in the hopes of minimalizing - if not eliminating - the possibly of states using their assured fuel supply to "leapfrog" to HEU levels of upward of 85%? Also, what effect do you think this would have on the chances of a terrorists and other non-state actors getting their hands on fissile material if it were placed under international control? <BR/><BR/>The idea is shaky - even the U.S. government admits it - and there is reason to believe that many developing/NAM countries would be highly skeptical of any such arrangement. And, as you correctly point out, states that were intent on pursuing a breakout capability if not an arsenal...would opt out of joining the partnership. The trade off, though, as I see it, could be akin to your "institutional signaling" theory: states that did not wish to participate in the fuel bank would likely come under intense international scrutiny thereafter. <BR/><BR/>Your thoughts?MDChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10997656241292833799noreply@blogger.com