November 3, 2001
Small nukes biggest threat to mankind: Chomsky Rezaul H Laskar in New Delhi Noted intellectual Noam Chomsky on Saturday said weapons of mass destruction, especially small nuclear devices, posed the greatest threat to countries all over the world. One of America's most prominent political dissidents, Chomsky said small nuclear weapons, particularly those weighing less than 15 pounds, could be smuggled into almost any country with relative ease. Even in a highly advanced country like the US, studies had shown that the possibility of such a nuclear weapon being smuggled in had a greater chance of succeeding than a military strike using ballistic missiles, he said while delivering the D T Lakdawala memorial lecture. Chomsky emphasised the danger posed by thousands of nuclear devices currently believed to be in former Soviet republics and scores of nuclear scientists left "with no work" following the break-up of the Soviet Union. He attributed the rapid proliferation of nuclear weapons to the failure of the US to agree to some sort of protocol on controlling the spread of weapons of mass destruction as far back as the 1950s. Speaking on the theme 'Peering into the abyss of the future', Chomsky lashed out at the US intervention in developing parts of the world, the role of the corporate world in supporting power systems and the ongoing arms races. Lacing his remarks with dry wit and his trademark irreverent attitude towards the establishment, Chomsky said democracy and human rights were in danger of becoming "endangered species" due to the policies of global powers that received the support of the elite and powerful. Referring to the ongoing US strikes against Afghanistan, he said it had even become "unpatriotic" to question the working of power. "But it is patriotic to agree to corporate tax cuts," he quipped. Chomsky accused the US administration of "quietly endorsing" China's efforts to resume nuclear testing so that it could press ahead with its ballistic missile defence. "It's convention for an attack to be called defence," he said. Describing New Delhi's support for the US's National Missile Defence programme as "astonishing", Chomsky said the move could have far-reaching consequences for India and other countries in its neighbourhood. The US, he said, was alone in the race for militarisation of outer space. The development of space-based weaponry would only serve to increase American influence all over the world. All space-based defensive assets would be heavily dependent on satellite communications. Given the vulnerability of satellites, however, the US would have to seek "full spectrum dominance" and this could lead to the development of laser and nuclear weapons that could bring instant death to any part of the world, Chomsky said. On the brighter side, he pointed to a "sharp acceleration" in the human rights culture and democratic control over certain sectors achieved through popular struggle as phenomena that could bring greater change. "These developments are important if the momentum can be sustained," he said. Indo-Asian News Service