Pakistan and nuclear weapons (catch all)

[slapout9]

Remember that for most Punjabis, the NWFP and FATA are as far away mentally as Mississippi is from Oregon.

A little culture shock going on there

[Ken White]

there are in Jackson and Hattiesburg combined. Only differences are that out west they don't eat catfish, aren't as polite and they talk funny...

[davidbfpo]

Just found this on a BBC website and may be of interest, let alone the opening tale that pakistan's nukes have been dispersed: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/markurban/

davidbfpo

[davidbfpo]

Pakistan's possession of nuclear weapons is an important aspect of her relations with friends and neighbours. One that some suspect is a clear and future danger if Pakistan changes course. In fact I heard a retired US diplomat on the BBC a month ago remark "Why do we pay so much attention to Iran, when Pakistan has nukes".

So here is an article by a UK-based analyst 'Pakistan, NATO, and tactical nuclear weapons: two of a kind?', which was spotted today:http://shashankjoshi.wordpress.com/2...two-of-a-kind/

In the opening:

The rationale for Pakistan’s use of such weapons is familiar to most, and often invokes NATO’s nuclear doctrine. It is worth understanding how exactly NATO’s nuclear thinking applies to Pakistan, and what this implies for how its arsenal might develop and how India might respond to this.

Near the end:

Whereas NATO was a multinational alliance with a variety of perspectives on where the nuclear threshold ought to lie, Pakistani decision-making – whatever its pathologies – is certainly simpler and more responsive. India cannot rely on Pakistani hesitation, even though it, India, would surely calibrate the level of force so as to make any Pakistani decision a difficult one.

If Pakistan does place increasing stress on limited nuclear options, and tactical nuclear weapons in particular, then understanding the differences from the NATO precedent – the ones discussed here, and plenty of others – will be as important as seeing the similarities.

[davidbfpo]

From War on The Rocks a glimpse into the future, which is rather bleak IMHO as the Shia-Sunni civil war escalates and the title says it all:

Confronting Reality: The Saudi-Pakistani Nuclear Nexus

It ends with:

If American efforts and promises fail, then Washington must accept that Islamabad will transfer some form of nuclear weapons capability to Saudi Arabia. Washington’s best policy option is be realistic rather than idealistic and maintain sufficient diplomatic and military relevance in Islamabad and Riyadh to limit the impact of this transfer on Israel’s threat calculus. America should prefer that any physical transfer of capability be limited to aircraft delivery systems and be in small numbers. These features would be the least threatening to Israel in both the short and long term, reinforcing a long-standing Pakistani nuclear weapons posture imperative.

Link:http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/con...nuclear-nexus/

[davidbfpo]

An interesting, short explanation how Pakistan became a nuclear weapon state.
Link:http://newsweekpakistan.com/how-and-why-it-began/

I have merged in a small thread 'Pakistan collapses: how will others respond?' as it sits well here.