Pre-emptive nuclear strike a key option, Nato told

[crooner]

Pre-emptive nuclear strike a key option, Nato toldIan Traynor in BrusselsTuesday January 22, 2008The Guardian A British Trident missile. Photograph: AP The west must be ready to resort to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to try to halt the "imminent" spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, according to a radical manifesto for a new Nato by five of the west's most senior military officers and strategists.Calling for root-and-branch reform of Nato and a new pact drawing the US, Nato and the European Union together in a "grand strategy" to tackle the challenges of an increasingly brutal world, the former armed forces chiefs from the US, Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands insist that a "first strike" nuclear option remains an "indispensable instrument" since there is "simply no realistic prospect of a nuclear-free world".Article continues----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The manifesto has been written following discussions with active commanders and policymakers, many of whom are unable or unwilling to publicly air their views. It has been presented to the Pentagon in Washington and to Nato's secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, over the past 10 days. The proposals are likely to be discussed at a Nato summit in Bucharest in April."The risk of further [nuclear] proliferation is imminent and, with it, the danger that nuclear war fighting, albeit limited in scope, might become possible," the authors argued in the 150-page blueprint for urgent reform of western military strategy and structures. "The first use of nuclear weapons must remain in the quiver of escalation as the ultimate instrument to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction."The authors - General John Shalikashvili, the former chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff and Nato's ex-supreme commander in Europe, General Klaus Naumann, Germany's former top soldier and ex-chairman of Nato's military committee, General Henk van den Breemen, a former Dutch chief of staff, Admiral Jacques Lanxade, a former French chief of staff, and Lord Inge, field marshal and ex-chief of the general staff and the defence staff in the UK - paint an alarming picture of the threats and challenges confronting the west in the post-9/11 world and deliver a withering verdict on the ability to cope.The five commanders argue that the west's values and way of life are under threat, but the west is struggling to summon the will to defend them. The key threats are:· Political fanaticism and religious fundamentalism.· The "dark side" of globalisation, meaning international terrorism, organised crime and the spread of weapons of mass destruction.· Climate change and energy security, entailing a contest for resources and potential "environmental" migration on a mass scale.· The weakening of the nation state as well as of organisations such as the UN, Nato and the EU.To prevail, the generals call for an overhaul of Nato decision-taking methods, a new "directorate" of US, European and Nato leaders to respond rapidly to crises, and an end to EU "obstruction" of and rivalry with Nato. Among the most radical changes demanded are:· A shift from consensus decision-taking in Nato bodies to majority voting, meaning faster action through an end to national vetoes.· The abolition of national caveats in Nato operations of the kind that plague the Afghan campaign.· No role in decision-taking on Nato operations for alliance members who are not taking part in the operations.· The use of force without UN security council authorisation when "immediate action is needed to protect large numbers of human beings".In the wake of the latest row over military performance in Afghanistan, touched off when the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, said some allies could not conduct counter-insurgency, the five senior figures at the heart of the western military establishment also declare that Nato's future is on the line in Helmand province."Nato's credibility is at stake in Afghanistan," said Van den Breemen."Nato is at a juncture and runs the risk of failure," according to the blueprint.Naumann delivered a blistering attack on his own country's performance in Afghanistan. "The time has come for Germany to decide if it wants to be a reliable partner." By insisting on "special rules" for its forces in Afghanistan, the Merkel government in Berlin was contributing to "the dissolution of Nato".Ron Asmus, head of the German Marshall Fund thinktank in Brussels and a former senior US state department official, described the manifesto as "a wake-up call". "This report means that the core of the Nato establishment is saying we're in trouble, that the west is adrift and not facing up to the challenges."Naumann conceded that the plan's retention of the nuclear first strike option was "controversial" even among the five authors. Inge argued that "to tie our hands on first use or no first use removes a huge plank of deterrence".Reserving the right to initiate nuclear attack was a central element of the west's cold war strategy in defeating the Soviet Union. Critics argue that what was a productive instrument to face down a nuclear superpower is no longer appropriate.Robert Cooper, an influential shaper of European foreign and security policy in Brussels, said he was "puzzled"."Maybe we are going to use nuclear weapons before anyone else, but I'd be wary of saying it out loud."Another senior EU official said Nato needed to "rethink its nuclear posture because the nuclear non-proliferation regime is under enormous pressure".Naumann suggested the threat of nuclear attack was a counsel of desperation. "Proliferation is spreading and we have not too many options to stop it. We don't know how to deal with this."Nato needed to show "there is a big stick that we might have to use if there is no other option", he said.The Authors:John ShalikashviliThe US's top soldier under Bill Clinton and former Nato commander in Europe, Shalikashvili was born in Warsaw of Georgian parents and emigrated to the US at the height of Stalinism in 1952. He became the first immigrant to the US to rise to become a four-star general. He commanded Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq at the end of the first Gulf war, then became Saceur, Nato's supreme allied commander in Europe, before Clinton appointed him chairman of the joint chiefs in 1993, a position he held until his retirement in 1997.Klaus NaumannViewed as one of Germany's and Nato's top military strategists in the 90s, Naumann served as his country's armed forces commander from 1991 to 1996 when he became chairman of Nato's military committee. On his watch, Germany overcame its post-WWII taboo about combat operations, with the Luftwaffe taking to the skies for the first time since 1945 in the Nato air campaign against Serbia.Lord IngeField Marshal Peter Inge is one of Britain's top officers, serving as chief of the general staff in 1992-94, then chief of the defence staff in 1994-97. He also served on the Butler inquiry into Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and British intelligence.Henk van den BreemenAn accomplished organist who has played at Westminster Abbey, Van den Breemen is the former Dutch chief of staff.Jacques LanxadeA French admiral and former navy chief who was also chief of the French defence staff.Special reportsNatoBritain's militaryUnited StatesKosovoMacedoniaRussiaIraqExplained20.11.2002: 2002 Nato summit in PragueUseful linksNato: official siteAllied Command AtlanticAllied Command EuropeKFor (Kosovo Force)SFor (Stabilisation Force in Bosnia)US defence department dictionary of Nato terms

 

[BernieEOD]

The use of nuclear terror to prevent nuclear terror? Right along the lines of an evil empire. The USAF has killed more civilian non combatants than all of the worlds so called terrorist organizations combined. When we do it to them, it called "Strategic bombing" When they return the favor, it terrorism.

 

[crooner]

You do make us think on different levels Bernie. I wonder though when God told Isreal to destroy other nations and kill all women,men, and children. He had to know if Isreal didnt there would be more problems,war, and differences if they didnt.

 

[Dunamite]

My collection of quotes on war, all alphabetized for you. War is nothing new. It is as old as humanity. Cain killed Abel and it has never stopped. War is evil. Killing is evil. Two quotes are by Einstein since you talk about using nuclear weapons. Many are from American greats of the past. I saved them because they reflect the wisdom of the ages.Blessings,DunamiteA state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny. - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Russian writer/dissident)"A tyrant... is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader." -- Plato - (429-347 BC) Source: The RepublicA war regarded as inevitable or even probable, and therefore much prepared for, has a very good chance of being fought. --George F. Kennan (1904- ), U.S. diplomat and scholar. (From The Cloud of Danger 1977Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so, whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose -- and you allow him to make war at pleasure. If today, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, 'I see no probability of the British invading us' but he will say to you, 'Be silent; I see it, if you don't.'" : Abraham Lincoln.Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in a real sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed --those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone--it is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. - President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953Four sorrows ... are certain to be visited on the United States. Their cumulative effect guarantees that the U.S. will cease to resemble the country outlined in the Constitution of 1787. First, there will be a state of perpetual war, leading to more terrorism against Americans wherever they may be and a spreading reliance on nuclear weapons among smaller nations as they try to ward off the imperial juggernaut.Second is a loss of democracy and Constitutional rights as the presidency eclipses Congress and is itself transformed from a co-equal 'executive branch' of government into a military junta. Third is the replacement of truth by propaganda, disinformation, and the glorification of war, power, and the military legions. Lastly, there is bankruptcy, as the United States pours its economic resources into ever more grandiose military projects and shortchanges the education, health, and safety of its citizens.": Chalmers Johnson, Sorrows of EmpireHitler and Mussolini were only the primary spokesmen for the attitude of domination and craving for power that are in the heart of almost everyone. Until the source is cleared, there will always be confusion and hate, wars and class antagonisms: J. KrishnamurtiHow you can win the population for war: At first, the statesman will invent cheap lying, that impute the guilt of the attacked nation, and each person will be happy over this deceit, that calm the conscience. It will study it detailed and refuse to test arguments of the other opinion. So he will convince step for step even therefrom that the war is just and thank God, that he, after this process of grotesque even deceit, can sleep better: Mark TwainI find war detestable but those who praise it without participating in it even more so: Romain RollandI hate it when they say, 'He gave his life for his country.' Nobody gives their life for anything. We steal the lives of these kids. We take it away from them. They don't die for the honor and glory of their country. We kill them." : Admiral Gene LaRocque.I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity. Dwight D. EisenhowerI see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. --President Abraham Lincoln, 1865In most communities it is illegal to cry "fire" in a crowded assembly. Should it not be considered serious international misconduct to manufacture a general war scare in an effort to achieve local political aims? Dwight D. Eisenhower"In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us.": Thich Nhat Hanh - Vietnamese monk, activist and writerIt is far easier to make war than peace. -- Georges Clemenceau "It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder." --- Albert EinsteinNaturally, the common people don't want war ... but after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country. : Hermann GoeringNever think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime: Ernest HemingwayOne is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one: Agatha ChristieOur country is now geared to an arms economy bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and an incessant propaganda of fear. --General Douglas MacArthurOur men . . . have killed to exterminate men, women, children, prisoners and captives, active insurgents and suspected people from lads of 10 up.... Our soldiers have pumped salt water into men to "make them talk," and have taken prisoners people who held up their hands and peacefully surrendered, and an hour later. . . stood them on a bridge and shot them down one by one, to drop into the water below and float down, as examples to those who found their bullet-loaded corpses.": Philadelphia Ledger newspaper in 1901, from its Manila [Philippines] correspondent during the US war with Spain for the control of the PhilippinesPeople have not been horrified by war to a sufficient extent ... War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige as the warrior does today: John Fitzgerald Kennedy The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions. --Robert Lynd (1879-1949), Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist The executive has no right, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause for declaring war. James Madison 1751-1836 American Statesman, Fourth President of the USThe guerrilla fights the war of the flea, and his military enemy suffers the dog's disadvantages: too much to defend; too small, ubiquitous, and agile an enemy to come to grips with. --Robert Taber (1928- ), U.S. writer. From War of the Flea (1965)The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own: Aldous Huxley - English novelist and critic, 1894-1963There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but boys, it is all hell. You can bear this warning voice to generations yet to come. I look upon war with horror. --William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), U.S. general. (From a speech, Columbus, Ohio, August 11, 1880)They have always taught and trained you to believe it to be your patriotic duty to go to war and to have yourselves slaughtered at their command. But in all the history of the world you, the people, have never had a voice in declaring war, and strange as it certainly appears, no war by any nation in any age has ever been declared by the people: Eugene DebsWanton killing of innocent civilians is terrorism, not a war against terrorism: Noam ChomskyWar: first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose; then, one is satisfied that he too is suffering; in the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost. : Karl Kraus War is not the continuation of politics with different means, it is the greatest mass-crime perpetrated on the community of man. -- Alfred Adler War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means. --Karl Marie von Clausewitz (1780-1831), Prussian general. Often misquoted as "War is nothing but a continuation of politics by other means." From On War (1833)War settles nothing. Dwight D. EisenhowerWar, we have come to believe, is a spectator sport. The military and the press ... have turned war into a vast video arcade game. Its very essence- death - is hidden from public view.": Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for New York TimesWe cannot have peace if we are only concerned with peace. War is not an accident. It is the logical outcome of a certain way of life. If we want to attack war, we have to attack that way of life: A. J. Muste"We kill at every step, not only in wars, riots, and executions. We kill when we close our eyes to poverty, suffering, and shame. In the same way all disrespect for life, all hard-heartedness, all indifference, all contempt is nothing else than killing. With just a little witty skepticism we can kill a good deal of the future in a young person. Life is waiting everywhere, the future is flowering everywhere, but we only see a small part of it and step on much of it with our feet." - Hermann Hesse, German poet and novelist.We kill because we are afraid of our own shadow, afraid that if we used a little common sense we'd have to admit that our glorious principles were wrong: Henry Miller, The Wisdom of the Heart, 1941We must be prepared to make heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war: Albert Einstein"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. ...We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war." Ann Coulter, "This Is War"; September 12, 2001What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world: Robert E. Lee, letter to his wife, 1864"What is it men cannot be made to believe!": Thomas JeffersonWhen people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war. War settles nothing: Dwight David Eisenhower - 34th president of the United States, 1890-1969"When the rich wage war it's the poor who die." --- Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 - 1980)Whenever a people... entrust the defence of their country to a regular, standing army, composed of mercenaries, the power of that country will remain under the direction of the most wealthy citizens.": A Framer "Where is it written in the Constitution, in what article or section is it contained, that you may take children from their parents and parents from their children, and compel them to fight the battles of any war in which the folly and wickedness of the government may engage itself? Under what concealment has this power lain hidden, which now for the first time comes forth, with a tremendous and baleful aspect, to trample down and destroy the dearest right of personal liberty? Who will show me any Constitutional injunction which makes it the duty of the American people to surrender everything valuable in life, and even life, itself, whenever the purposes of an ambitious and mischievous government may require it? A free government with an uncontrolled power of military conscription is the most ridiculous and abominable contradiction and nonsense that ever entered into the heads of men." : Daniel Webster, Speech in the House of Representatives, January 14, 1814 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one bungler destroys much good. - Ecclesiastes 9:16-18 You no more win a war than you can win an earthquake. --Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973), U.S. legislator

 

[Christina]

Pre-emptive nuclear strike a key option, Nato toldIan Traynor in BrusselsTuesday January 22, 2008The Guardian The west must be ready to resort to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to try to halt the "imminent" spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, according to a radical manifesto for a new Nato by five of the west's most senior military officers and strategists.Calling for root-and-branch reform of Nato and a new pact drawing the US, Nato and the European Union together in a "grand strategy" to tackle the challenges of an increasingly brutal world, the former armed forces chiefs from the US, Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands insist that a "first strike" nuclear option remains an "indispensable instrument" since there is "simply no realistic prospect of a nuclear-free world".

 

[BearingChristaHammer]

(BernieEOD;32089)
The use of nuclear terror to prevent nuclear terror? Right along the lines of an evil empire. The USAF has killed more civilian non combatants than all of the worlds so called terrorist organizations combined. When we do it to them, it called "Strategic bombing" When they return the favor, it terrorism.
100% agree with this. As well, a war on terrorism is the stupidest thing I think I have ever heard of. Essentially it's declaring a war on a style of warfare. How did we win the revolutionary war? We changed tactics and I'm sure the red coats though it very noble of us, but that's what we did.

 

[BernieEOD]

More and more, western democracy appears to resemble the anitchrist. All with the blessings of the neocon church.

 

[BernieEOD]

(crooner;32230)
You do make us think on different levels Bernie. I wonder though when God told Isreal to destroy other nations and kill all women,men, and children. He had to know if Isreal didnt there would be more problems,war, and differences if they didnt.
And where in Scripture are we commanded to do this? Since the fall of Judda, when were the Jews ever commanded to do it again?If it is ok for us to kill civilians by the hundreds of thousands, the we cannopt blame the enemy for returning the favor.

 

[BernieEOD]

(crooner;32230)
You do make us think on different levels Bernie. I wonder though when God told Isreal to destroy other nations and kill all women,men, and children. He had to know if Isreal didnt there would be more problems,war, and differences if they didnt.
God knows a lot of things. Had Isreal remained obedient, they would not have entered the turmoil described in the book of Judges.Niether Joshua nor David were God's plan for the world. Name one nation outside the boundries of the Promised Land Joshua or any other King was commanded to go to war against. War was not to be Isreals policy. David was forbidden to build the Temple because he was a man of war. Isreal finally reached the goal where it was a shinning city on a hill where all the world would come to seek God's wisdom, blessings, and guidence. This was under Solomon who was known as a man of peace. Because Solomon broke just about every rule Moses laid down for a King, God divided the Kingdom.

 

[HammerStone]

NATO needs to be disbanded and not expanded. The USSR is no more.

 

[BernieEOD]

NATO was concieved as a TEMPORARY alliance to counter the Soviet Union. Like any other institution it will refuse to sunset itself. In order to justify it's continued existence, we have to create new boogeymen to fight.