FELIZ E SANTO NATAL
MERRY CHRISTMAS
SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI (1599-1641) – Nativity Scene (1221-1274)
Aos meus amigos e leitores do “Tempos Interessantes”, a todos os que se interessam, votos de um Santo e Feliz Natal, na companhia dos vossos entes queridos.
Desejo-lhes também um auspicioso 2023!
Merry Christmas to all my friends and readers of “Tempos Interessantes” and to everyone who cares.
I also wish you all a Happy New Year!
Rui Miguel Ribeiro
THE HOPELESS TREATY
This is the SARMAT, the newest and most powerful Russian ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile). It has a range of more than 5500 km, can carry thermonuclear weapons and supports MIRVs (Multiple Independently Targetable Independent Vehicles). This is probably the most powerful Missile, but there are that also carry very powerful weapons.
Photograph from South Front, Russia.
In the past few days, some characters, groups and countries have gone into ecstasy over the entry into force of a new treaty in January 2021. The treaty was the Nuclear Ban Treaty which, according to its promoters and defenders, would pave the way for the that eradication of nuclear weapons.
The fuss was generated by the 50th nation that had ratified the treaty, the mighty Honduras. However, the eradication of nuclear weapons is not going to happen. Actually, the current trend is the increase of the number and capability of a succession of more modern and powerful arms.
1- Although there were 122 countries signing the Treaty, only 50 of them (less than half of the total) did ratify it so far.
2- Most of the great powers, including all of the nuclear powers, did not and do not sign the Treaty.
3- According to the useless Secretary/General of the United Nations, the ban of nukes would avoid an imminent use of one. Well, is has been 75 years since the 2nd and last use of a nuclear weapon.
Then, there are the ridiculous statements like that of the Executive Director of an organisation, Beatrice Fihn, who claimed that nuclear weapons are banned. “Really? Banned by whom? Honduras? She goes further saying that younger people “don’t understand why we still have nuclear weapons.” If that is true, it is a question for them to read and look for information, so they could really understand it.
Let’s look at it in a different way:
* Nuclear weapons do exist.
* Nuclear weapons have not been used in the last 75 years.
* States holding nuclear weapons will not let them go.
* In this century the number of nuclear weapons’ states has increased.
* In this century the number of want to be nuclear weapons states has increased.
The bottom line is that nuclear weapons will not relinquish them.
Nuclear weapons provide security, leverage, prestige and a huge strike capability, all of them relevant for these great powers. Nuclear weapons, like it or not, are a pillar of the world security and they provide more deterrence than threat.
Furthermore, nuclear weapons states are suspicious of one another and they would not trust each other’s alleged dismantlement of nuclear weapons. Here’s a list:
* The United States does not trust Russia, nor China.
* Russia does not trust China or the US.
* China trusts neither Russia, nor the US.
* India does not trust Pakistan, nor India,
* Pakistan does not trust India.
* North Korea does not trust anyone.
* No one trusts North Korea.
* The United Kingdom does not trust Russia nor China.
* France does not trust China nor Russia.
* Israel does not trust no one in their neighbourhood.
* Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon but she is striving to get one. No one trusts Iran.
So, instead of going on a hopeless wild goose chase, the winning crew should be grateful for the long standing non-use of nuclear weapons. So help us God!
P.S. This article was written in 2020/2021 and it was finalised today, 10th December 2022.
