Saturday Reading

Noam Chomsky: If you want to learn something about nuclear weapons and why these issues are not being reported, take a look at the March 1 issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, where there is an absolutely spectacular article by two real experts — Hans M. Kristensen and Ted Postol from MIT. They discuss the new targeting systems that have been invented under the Obama Modernization Program that’s now being escalated by Trump, and it’s extremely dangerous. What they claim based on disclosed information is that the US missile systems have been improved by such a huge factor that they are now capable of instantly wiping out the Russian deterrent.

This is massive overkill and nuclear stability is gone, and of course, the Russians know this. What that implies is that if they ever feel a threat, they’re just going to be compelled to launch a preemptive strike because otherwise they’re dead, you know? And that means we’re all dead. This is the most important news that’s come out in I don’t know how long.

The New York Times and other mainstream outlets followed through on their conventional habits of praising the US and Trump’s latest strike of Syria but went on to lament that his foreign policy doctrine is improvisational. And, in some ways, based on the Cabinet appointments, it reminds me of Bush 43, where they select defenseless targets. Meanwhile they claim they’re trying to fight terrorism and nuclear proliferation, but it seems like they’re just enhancing it.

Noam Chomsky @ TRUTHOUT