[Reader-list] obama backs first nucleal strike

[Asit Das]

Obama Backs First-Strike Nuclear War As U.S. Policy

*By Francis A. Boyle*

25 June, 2013
*Countercurrents.org*

I have now had the chance to read Obama’s Report on Nuclear Employment
Strategy of the United States, that just came out on Friday, June 21, 2013.
The critical passage can be found on page 5:

“The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review established the Administration’s goal to
set conditions that would allow the United States to safely adopt a policy
of making deterrence of nuclear attack the sole purpose of U.S. nuclear
weapons. Although we cannot adopt such a policy today, the new guidance
re-iterates the intention to work towards that goal over time.”

In other words, “nuclear deterrence” is not now and has not been the policy
of the Obama administration going back to and including their 2010 Nuclear
Posture Review as well. Since “nuclear deterrence” is not now and has never
been the Obama administration’s nuclear weapons policy from the get-go,
then by default this means that offensive first-strike strategic nuclear
war fighting is now and has always been the Obama administration’s nuclear
weapons policy. This policy will also be pursued and augmented by means of
“integrated non-nuclear strike options.” Id.

Therefore the entire 2013 NPR and Obama’s recent nuclear arms “reduction”
proposals must be understood within this context of the United States
pursuing an offensive, strategic first-strike nuclear war-fighting
capability as augmented by non-nuclear strike forces:

“After a comprehensive review of our nuclear forces, the President has
determined that we can ensure the security of the United States and our
Allies and partners and maintain a strong and credible strategic deterrent
while safely pursuing a one-third reduction in deployed nuclear weapons
from the level established in the New START Treaty.” Id. at 6.

And we know now for sure that all the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD)
systems that Obama is currently in the process of deploying in Europe,
Asia, and the United States, on land, at sea and perhaps in Outer Space are
designed to provide the United States with a strategic, offensive, first
strike nuclear war fighting capability against Russia and China and Iran
and North Korea and Syria for starters. The latter three because the United
States has taken the position that they are not in compliance with their
obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: “…the United States
has relied increasingly on non-nuclear elements to strengthen regional
security architectures, including a forward U.S. conventional presence and
effective theater ballistic missile defenses…” Id. at 9.

So the United States government is currently preparing to launch, wage and
win an offensive, first-strike strategic nuclear war against Russia, China,
Iran, North Korea and Syria. All the rest is just palaver. Including by our
Dissembler-in-Chief. An “honors” graduate of Harvard Law School.

*Professor Francis A. Boyle* is an international law expert and served as
Legal Advisor to the Palestine Liberation Organization and Yasser Arafat on
the 1988 Palestinian Declaration of Independence, as well as to the
Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East Peace Negotiations from 1991 to
1993, where he drafted the Palestinian counter-offer to the now defunct
Oslo Agreement. His books include “ Palestine, Palestinians and
International Law” (2003), and “ The Palestinian Right of Return under
International Law” (2010) and The Criminality of Nuclear Deterrence
(Clarity Press: 2002)