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Human Justification Initiated Nuclear Capabilities: Human Justification Will Be the Cause For Its Use

Reader comment on item: Why I Am Not Writing About Iran
in response to reader comment: No one can justify using a nuclear power to stop enemy

Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), Mar 28, 2012 at 15:59

At the risk of alleging naiveté of whether there is, or is not, a justification for the use of nuclear power, it is in fact an academic question already answered: there are nuclear weapons and those who have them have practiced the protocols for decades on their use if the right provocation is presented. It cannot be ignored.

Right or wrong by differing perceptions, America's first use of the devices upon Japan were not for reasons of deterrence, but as an act of ending a war gone on too long and an American president no longer willing to expend more American lives pursuing the end of hostilities.

The atrocities of war are inherent in the very process of its conduct: people, whether in uniform or civilian dress, die. More people died in World War Two by all the non-nuclear technology used many, many times over than those who perished in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The only real difference is in its perception of how devastatingly quick it could happen.

Japan's military in 1945 indicated they were still willing to fight and there is evidence the people were inclined as well as long as they thought their emperor was willing. Was that, is that sufficient justification? For President Truman, he thought so. We'll never know if President Roosevelt might have ordered the strike, though we know he ordered commencing the program once it was learned the Third Reich was pursuing same the process we see Ahmadinejad chasing.

Now, is there room for argument that President Truman was more justified in the use of the nuclear device than Ahmadinejad might be if he pursued it to the stated ends? And what if Iran did provoke a situation in which the only calculated response was nuclear, can the argument be made that if they did, would a nuclear response be justified as opposed to making the argument for a pre-emptive strike?

There is a reason that mankind should never have developed nuclear power: the typical humanist thinking does not comprehend its full implication of use any better now than when it was first introduced. A higher intelligence is required to contemplate all the implications; even Oppenheimer recognized that.

But after all will be said and later what will be done, nuclear power as a misused tool of a misguided mankind is inevitable. The rhetoric coming from Ahmadinejad will be fuel enough indeed to bring that part of the world to its knees and the rest of the world will be swept up in the fallout. So has it been written; so it remains to be done. Remember, justification spoken of here is merely a human process to apply reasonable probable cause when all other processes of reasoning are no longer applicable.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (37) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Obama assures Netanyahu on efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program [95 words]stasMar 27, 2012 05:45194798
Ahmadinedjad 45min exclusive interview with ZDF german TV [264 words]mythMar 19, 2012 20:09194528
What is the point? [117 words]stanley bMar 19, 2012 18:31194525
There's no tellin'! [229 words]There is NO Santa ClausMar 19, 2012 22:37194525
Advance knowledge of attacks [134 words]stanley bMar 20, 2012 20:16194525
2OBAMA IS NOT IRISH [100 words]NEIL CAMERON / 6443Mar 22, 2012 18:03194525
1Dear Neil [137 words]There is NO Santa ClausMar 26, 2012 22:04194525
1Hello Stanley B [266 words]There is NO Santa ClausMar 26, 2012 22:28194525
"0'Bama" Clarification [365 words]NEIL CAMERON / 6443Mar 27, 2012 20:20194525
Of course Obama's Irish! [314 words]Kepha HorApr 1, 2012 09:17194525
1Not writing about Iran [28 words]Edgar DavidsonMar 15, 2012 13:27194413
6Some food for thought [136 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
There is NO Santa ClausMar 13, 2012 08:03194325
1Thank you for your response, Dr. Pipes [160 words]There is NO Santa ClausMar 18, 2012 21:37194325
No one can justify using a nuclear power to stop enemy [61 words]sephardiMar 10, 2012 19:38194236
Human Justification Initiated Nuclear Capabilities: Human Justification Will Be the Cause For Its Use [457 words]M. ToveyMar 28, 2012 15:59194236
1new Israeli ambassador in Germany sending an emotional message [310 words]mythMar 10, 2012 08:51194226
1Lots of sub-texts [110 words]Jon from EurolandMar 7, 2012 11:15194082
Superior firepower [36 words]DuncanMar 7, 2012 04:12194062
1By May it will be too late [94 words]NuritGMar 7, 2012 03:26194057
2It is entirely possible, reasonable AND lawful for Israel to use its tactical nukes to destroy Iran's genocidal project/regime.... [42 words]Adina Kutnicki, IsraelMar 7, 2012 00:43194051
Dear Mr. Adina [54 words]Debanjan BanerjeeMar 23, 2012 13:25194051
Train of Thoughts [87 words]Jay1Mar 6, 2012 20:20194041
2Israeli nukes? [65 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Ari ZadeMar 6, 2012 14:39194016
Tactical Nukes [201 words]Zan (Australia)Mar 6, 2012 22:42194016
tactical nukes [186 words]rick oneilMar 6, 2012 23:09194016
3We owe this to our Children. [51 words]Michael Hanni MorcosMar 6, 2012 23:59194016
nuclear deterrence toward Iran [29 words]mythMar 7, 2012 06:56194016
ok, "tactical" [79 words]Ari ZadeMar 7, 2012 22:08194016
good points [69 words]Ari ZadeMar 7, 2012 22:14194016
what is behind the absurd? [74 words]BenMar 18, 2012 10:21194016
Yes, and so? [156 words]stanislausMar 21, 2012 17:15194016
action required [149 words]mythMar 22, 2012 05:41194016
Nukes necessary? [188 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
KeithMar 31, 2012 00:16194016
thank you for the info, Keith [58 words]Ari ZadeApr 3, 2012 03:36194016
More on that [628 words]KeithApr 4, 2012 11:47194016
Reply [95 words]KeithApr 4, 2012 13:01194016
wow, thanks again, Keith [66 words]Ari ZadeApr 4, 2012 21:15194016

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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