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Originally Posted by octothorp
Why does one nation who refuses to abide by the nuclear non-proliferation treaty have the right to attack another nation for violation of the same treaty?
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Does it really matter?
Iran has used Hezbollah/Hamas to orchestrate strikes against Israel before. I think they're more scared of a dirty bomb finding its way into the hands of terrorists than they are of Iran actually launching a nuclear attack against Israel.
Whats the point of having a treaty if there are no consequences for the nations that don't abide by it? North Korea supposedly tested a nuclear weapon in 2006, and launched what many think is a test of a long-range missile that passed over Japan....Iran is obviously going ahead with their nuclear problem and all those countries that are abiding by the treaty are sitting and watching everything unfold.
Israel, Pakistan, India and North Korea are all countries not recognized as Nuclear Weapons States.....so, what exactly the point of the treaty again?
I don't know about those other 3 countries, but I know Israel believes that second strike deterrence is a important factor in preventing conventional and unconventional attacks by foreign armies.
Nuclear weapons are viewed as the ultimate guarantor for the safety of Israel, and are employed strictly as a deterrent, as their military is not structured around the existence of those weapons.
Supposedly their official policy to use nuclear weapons revolves around these 4 things....
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1. A successful Arab military penetration into populated areas within Israel's post-1949 (pre-1967) borders.
2. The destruction of the Israeli Air Force.
3. The exposure of Israeli cities to massive and devastating air attacks or to possible chemical or biological attacks.
4. The use of nuclear weapons against Israeli territory.
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Nothing offensive about it.
Even the Samson Option was seen a deterrance.
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Israel has said that it "would not be the first country in the Middle East to formally introduce nuclear weapons into the region." This maintains sufficient ambiguity to satisfy its neighbors, as well as the United States. It also implies that Israel would not strike first with nuclear weapons during a war, only using them for a retaliatory strike.
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http://www.cfr.org/publication/9822/...ast_peace.html