Wednesday, April 07, 2004
The Onion tackles the economics of nuclear proliferation
'Price of Nuclear Secrets Plummeting' - headline, The Onion.
I was on the road again today, and am way behind in tackling the news from Iraq. In that regard, I do not know what to think. It looks bad, but it is very hard to unpack via clips from CNN. The next few days are critical.
In the meantime, read The Onion! This article on the plummeting price of nuclear secrets is a classic. Money quote:
WASHINGTON, DC—Top-secret information about the design, construction, and delivery of nuclear weapons has never been more affordable than it is today, CIA Director George Tenet announced Monday.
"We're seeing items like warhead blueprints and uranium-enrichment instructions go for a fraction of what they used to cost," Tenet said. "There's never been a better time to snag a deal on low-mass, high-yield weaponry schematics. Countries like Iran and North Korea are finding that it's a real buyer's market."
Tenet said he expects prices to continue to decline.
"These bargain prices will create more buyers, which will in turn widen the black market to include more sellers," Tenet said. "If this trend continues, then by 2010, nuclear secrets will be well within the reach of Uzbekistan, Morocco, and pretty much anyone else with enough money to buy a used car."
And, with regard to our friends the Pakistanis:
"It was an embarrassment to our country that Abdul Qadeer Khan sold nuclear secrets and technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea," said General Mohammed Kanazwa, a senior officer for Pakistani military intelligence. "But it was all the more embarrassing when we found out that he had sold them in the 'Bargains Under $100' section of the Cleveland Plain Dealer."
Read the whole thing.
I was on the road again today, and am way behind in tackling the news from Iraq. In that regard, I do not know what to think. It looks bad, but it is very hard to unpack via clips from CNN. The next few days are critical.
In the meantime, read The Onion! This article on the plummeting price of nuclear secrets is a classic. Money quote:
WASHINGTON, DC—Top-secret information about the design, construction, and delivery of nuclear weapons has never been more affordable than it is today, CIA Director George Tenet announced Monday.
"We're seeing items like warhead blueprints and uranium-enrichment instructions go for a fraction of what they used to cost," Tenet said. "There's never been a better time to snag a deal on low-mass, high-yield weaponry schematics. Countries like Iran and North Korea are finding that it's a real buyer's market."
Tenet said he expects prices to continue to decline.
"These bargain prices will create more buyers, which will in turn widen the black market to include more sellers," Tenet said. "If this trend continues, then by 2010, nuclear secrets will be well within the reach of Uzbekistan, Morocco, and pretty much anyone else with enough money to buy a used car."
And, with regard to our friends the Pakistanis:
"It was an embarrassment to our country that Abdul Qadeer Khan sold nuclear secrets and technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea," said General Mohammed Kanazwa, a senior officer for Pakistani military intelligence. "But it was all the more embarrassing when we found out that he had sold them in the 'Bargains Under $100' section of the Cleveland Plain Dealer."
Read the whole thing.
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