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Israel Unveils New Drone Fleet that Can Reach Iran
Israel's air force has introduced a fleet of large unmanned planes that can fly as far as Iran.
Air force officials say the Heron TP drones have a wingspan of 86 feet (26 meters), making them the size of passenger jets. They say the planes are primarily used for surveillance.
The drones, built by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, were first used during Israel's Gaza war last year. The company has said the aircraft can reach the Persian Gulf.
At an inauguration ceremony Sunday, Israeli officials refused to say how large the fleet is or whether the planes were designed for use against Iran.
Israel believes Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons and has repeatedly hinted it could strike Iran if diplomacy fails to curb Iran's nuclear program.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
TEL NOF AIR FORCE BASE, Israel (AP) - Israel's air force has introduced a fleet of large unmanned planes that it says can fly as far as Iran.
Air force officials say the Heron TP drones have a wingspan of 86 feet (26 meters), making them the size of passenger jets. They say the planes can fly 20 consecutive hours, and are primarily used for surveillance and carrying payloads.
The drones, built by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, were first used during Israel's Gaza war last year.
At an inauguration ceremony Sunday, Israeli officials refused to say how large the new fleet is or whether the planes were designed for use against Iran.
Israel believes Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons and has repeatedly hinted it could strike Iran if diplomatic efforts to curb the nuclear program fail.
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58 Comments so far
Show AllAnd if Iran had developed this fleet of drones rather than Israel, can you imagine the amount of hysteria MSM and our politicians would emit?
yeah, and i bet they are filled with forged passports of british citizens.............
The annihilation sphere of nuclear holocaust surrounds this planet like a black cloud.
I'm beginning to think that all countries should just push "the button" at once and get it over with. The testosterone-posturing and threats are truly getting old. I'd be O.K. with the roaches and other surviving life starting all over again. Hopefully, there would be no humans left to begin the cycle once more; it seems bellicosity is more dominant in humans than any other critters.
These a-holes just won't stop. They are willing their own end.
So this is where our taxes are going - to create the biggest turd in the Middle East Punchbowl.
Next will come UAVs that hunt and eat other UAVs. How about a nice game of chess instead?
And China is developing special long range drones. Nice box you've opened Pandora. Will we have a non-proliferation treaty against the coming reign of drones? Of course, we don't have to wait for enemies to fly drones against us. We've got our police state. The new bane on humanity has arrived.
Not exactly new - check this Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAI_Heron
They even have a picture of one of these at the Paris air show of 2009.
What is more, these things are exploding in terms of use. This particular machine is also sold to and beind used by Turkey and India with a slightly different version in France. Even Canada is buying the Israeli drones.
If you start looking at UAV sites and information, drones are being purchased, it seems, by just about everyone. What ever people have, sooner or later they use, and more and more.
Reminds me that in WWI the first planes were un-armed surveilance planes. The first combat items were literally wielded by hand, all the way from throwing bricks to shooting with pistols and tossing small bombs. Then guns were mounted, bomb racks were created, that wonderful Belgian(?) priest invented a synchronizing device that allowed machine guns to shoot directly through the propeller arc without hitting the blades. And it just got "better."
Seems we are just beginning to move out of a similar early stage. It is only a matter of how soon before we have full-blown robot wars. (Don't forget the ground-based robots with mounted weapons.)
Oh, and these things, being just big, ugly radio-controlled "models" are easy to aquire. Blow-back just got delivery range. Who needs to hijack airliners when you can get radio-controlled models at a fraction of the price and hassle?
Notta Brave new world.
:-))
The purpose of this 'news' is... ?
... to give Iran a heads-up to prioritize Project Big Dome.
· Yr Obd't Servant
Here is another article on the new drone.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3851377,00.html
To get To Iran they need to fly over Turkish or Iraqi Airspace.
Given Turkey has outright refused such an action this means that the only tangible route is over Iraq.
In such an instance it can only be with the US allowing it.
VP Biden has stated that "Israel has the Sovereign right" to attack Iran and that if they did indeed do so the USA would do nothing to stop it.
This would obviously make the USA complicit in any attack by Israel on Iran. Certainly not news as they were complicit in the attacks on Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, but it just bears repeating that the government of United States of America has no interests in peace.
In addition to the Iraqi and Turkish routes, the Israeli drones can fly to Iran also above Saudi Arabia, or even take the long way above the red sea and the Persians gulf.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Middle_east_graphic_2003.jpg
Here is a "cheery" article from August 2009 Brookings report:
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/0828_robots_singer.aspx
This covers air, ground, space, water, underwater and other little corners of the robotics wars - current and future. At the end the author notes that the Tamil Tigers in 2007 hijacked a communitions satellite to broadcast their messages. Just EVERYbody is in on this.
It is wonderful to see american tax dollars in action making the world a more dangerous place. Joe Lieberman must be so proud.
Well, the MIC is world wide. It makes its profits through war. In any conflict, it is willing to sell to both sides, if they can afford it.
Military intelligence(?) often exacerbates conflicts, supplying both sides with weapons, intelligence, etc., to weaken them so we can move in and take them without too much trouble. (aka "divide and conquer")
As long as the MIC is in charge,(and it has bought and paid for many governments and movements around the world, including our own) we will never see a lasting peace anywhere in the world. Not as long as there is profit to be made, and power to gain.
Is Iran allowed under the Non Proliferation Treaty to legally develope Nuclear Weapons ?
According to the NPT, only USA, USSR (Russia), China, UK, and France can develop nukes.
All the other countries, including Iran, are prohibited from having nukes.
Three countries, Israel, India and Pakistan, never signed the NPT.
It will never be safe or fair until all countries sign, no countries are exempt, and all nuclear weapons are dismantled. I'm not a big fan of nuclear power plants, but it would be an improvement to use the recovered uranium for peaceful purposes.
Meanwhile, leave Iran alone. They are way below average in terms of aggression and development of WMD. Their level of democracy is just so-so, mainly due to historical interference from US. But a lot of countries are so-so or much worse. Iran's main problem is that they have our oil under their land. And they won't share.
Joe
I thought Iran signed a deal with China. Or was it Iraq?
I don't think North Korea did either, did it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Non-Proliferation_Treaty
>>Four non-parties to the treaty are known or believed to possess nuclear weapons. India, Pakistan and North Korea have openly tested and declared that they possess nuclear weapons, while Israel has had a policy of opacity regarding its own nuclear weapons program. North Korea acceded to the treaty, violated it, and withdrew from it in 2003.>>
According to US intelligence and international inspectors, Iran is not--repeat, is not--developing nuclear weapons. What is Israel doing? Provoking a holocaust in the Mideast. Israel is a menace to peace, security, and people all over the world. It carries out targeted assassinations, like the recent one in Dubai; it violates international law; and it commits more war crimes than most other nations. All with the approval of the brain-dead US Congress. Congress is terrified of being called anti-semitic, a term now made meaningless because of its indiscriminate use by Israel; but Congress is not at all bothered by charges of war crimes. So Congress supports Israel's war crimes, sells these murderers weapons, and passes resolutions about Israel having the right to defend itself--by the slaughter of innocent civilians if necessary. The zionist agenda is not good for America, it will not bring peace to the Mideast, and it will eventually sabotage Israel's existence. That may be the only hope for world peace.
Iran has repeatedly said it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. Why would they? Israel already has about 200 bombs. An attack on Israel would be suicide.
So why are we so eager to escalate? If you want to attack a country so you can steal their massive oil reserves, you have to gin up a reason to attack, no matter how implausible.
The Bush boys and the neocons were pretty clear about their plans in the 1990s when they wrote the PNAC. So far, everything is on track. We have the Iraqi oil, the gas pipeline through Afghanistan, our puppet states in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, etc. The only remaining piece in the puzzle is Iran, but to complete the puzzle, you need to do one last thing: Convince the gullible suckers in the US that they need to send their kids to fight and die to protect us from the non-existent Iranian Bomb. Sadly, the public will buy it.
EXACTLY.
"gin up an excuse" to attack , invade, occupy, rule a country with massive resources that the invaders want.
PERIOD.
"ALL FOREIGN WARS are waged for Profit and Power...they are nothing but Pillage and Theft of the Resources of other People"...
SOCRATES.
"Is Iran allowed under the Non Proliferation Treaty to legally develop Nuclear Weapons?"
No, but they are allowed to develop nuclear power under the watchdog of the NRC. They have done this for quite a few years. Even our own National Intelligence Estimate could find no evidence of a nuclear weapons program. Nobody has. Iran has had its labs, etc., carefully scrutinized by the NRC, who also has found no evidence of nuclear misuse or violations of the NPR.
Despite this, Israel and the US have propagandized a vast nuclear weapons development and research program in Iran. Far too many believe it. Frankly, with the deck being increasingly stacked against them, it might be a good idea if they did start, even though it would take an estimated eight to ten years to produce a weapon, let alone an arsenal.
Iran has a history of only fighting defensive wars. We promoted our puppet, Saddam Hussein, to make war on Iran in hope of destroying it and making it part of our hegemony. Iran fought back, with tremendous losses, and eventually kept their freedom.
It would be insane to work for ten years and pour millions or billions into an effort to produce a bomb, then use it against a rogue nation that has demonstrated its willingness to attack anyone it feels it can beat, armed currently with an estimated four hundred nuclear armed missiles (God knows how many ten years from now) who has signed no treaties and has contempt for every government in the world along with the UN.
It is the Israeli government who has stated that, if necessary, they would use the Sampson Initiative, using their nuclear arsenal to take everyone with them if they thought they were going to lose.
There, is true insanity. The Israeli government is even arresting and incarcerating their own people, if they are "guilty" of making a protest against Israeli policy.
This is Correct.
the over-all history of this is:
IRAN was a signatory decades ago - with the USA , Russia, China etc...for "nonproliferation" of Nuclear armaments....
Israel refused.
BUT CRITICAL and AS IMPORTANT as non-proliferation was that the BIG POWERS were to REDUCE their arsenals of nuclear weapons...
AND part of it was that the technology transfer to IRAN and other nations for energy would begin SO THAT iran and others that are rich in oil and gas and other energy minerals can develop their economies through export of that energy that the west and the rest of the world wanted and needed...BUT that the exporting countries would NOT themselves have to depend on THEIR oil and gas to develop themselves....in effect:
Reserving much of their gas and oil so the world can use it and buy it...BY BEING ENABLED to consume THEIR local energy with nuclear-generated electricity.
BUT the western nations, including, Germany, France, USA RENEGED on their promise to give iran its LEGAL right to have the technology for energy development from nuclear power (including its medical isotopes) which suddenly was the stance of the WEST (instigated, of course, by the USA)
when IRAN TURNED to the Ayatollah Khomeini and kicked out the US Puppet Right Wing Dictator Shah of Iran.
NATURALLY _ iran was forced to go "underground" buying things in the black market and other underhanded ways as the isolation , of course instigated by the USA -- while excusing ISRAEL of its two-faced holding of Nuclear Bombs - of iran increased.
so - regardless of what the IAEA TODAY says (which itself is always under pressure , even under El Baradei, FROM the USA and israel and other western powers to come up with the "prefered" conclusion about iran -- as they also prefered certain conclusions about the WMD's of IRAQ) -
IRAN was COMPLIANT - while the west and israel and other big powers were NOT - with the SAME DOCUMENTS that they ALL signed decades ago....and was forced to be "noncompliant" FOLLOWING the NONcompliance of the Big Powers and the West.
BOTTOM LINE -- where iran is concerned since the 1950's when the CIA undermined ITS most advanced democracy in the middle east by toppling the highly popular and respected Mossadegh at the behest of US and British Oil Corporations so they could continue to divy up Iran's oil and gas between themselves -- to do what they did to south american countries with their resources ,
if the question has to be asked :
"WHO STARTED IT?"
it's the USA and the western powers!
Iranians - among the most advanced and most democratic and most educated populations in the middle east by the 1950's, and in fact, CLOSER to the western "ideals" of "liberty" and democracy than any other middle eastern country -- tried to be treated with EQUAL respect by the western powers - and did so by relying on what to THEM is a very important cultural matter:
to do things with HONOR....
were simply BETRAYED by the USA , England, France, Israel, and other big powers , especially of the west.
but then -- why SHOULD that be surprising? especially where the "superpower" USA is concerned?
after all - without ANY real cultural evolution tied to the Persians (as the russians or near neighbors in the contiguous landmass of "EURASIA" had been with iran for thousands of years) ...
the USA has a long history of not only genocide against native indians and enslavement of africans FAR from their homelands , shipped across the ocean to build the USA"s "United States"...
it also has a long history of domestic and international signing of treaties that it does NOT honor! -- whether it's with the native Indians, the enslaved blacks and the reparations, and nations abroad.
SO -- why SHOULD iranians TRUST the USA for that matter?
they GAVE trust -- and in fact, during Mossadegh's time - when HE demanded that the British and russians LEAVE or do business in iran the PROPER way - which was to develop their business but NOT exploit the iranians - when HE ASKED the USA to HELP ...and it is even proven by the fact that in iran at that time - MANY american leaders of the past were POPULAR among iranians, with their images actually woven into superb tapestries and the famous "persian rugs" -- JUST to show how DEMOCRATIC iranians were..whatever the failures of america's OWN leaders were...
but......what DID the USA DO?
why -- it sided with the British petroleum - and STAGED the COUP against Mossadegh!!!
and PROVED that it is and was -- NO DEMOCRACY at all!
for it DESTROYED iran's DEMOCRACY for the sake of the almighty DOLLAR! oil, gas and Empire!
And is the US who signed the NPT allowed to transfer nuclear technology to India who hasn't signed the agreement but has developed a nuclear weapons program? No, but the US does it anyways.
Under Article IV, Iran can do exactly what it is doing:
>>1. Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the
Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful
purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty.
2. All the Parties to the Treaty undertake to facilitate, and have the right to participate in. the
fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information
for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Parties to the Treaty in a position to do so shall also co-
operate in contributing alone or together with other States or international organizations to the
further development of the applications of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, especially in
the territories of non-nuclear-weapon States Party to the Treaty, with due consideration for the
needs of the developing areas of the world.>>
So... is Hillary proposing sanctions against Israel?
Joe
Question #2: Is Hillary claiming Israel is sliding into a military dictatorship?
Israel is more than willing to fight Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Hamas, the PLO, or anyone else to the last American.
And, if all that fails, there's always the 'Samson option' ... speaking of nuclear threats.
There's really no big problem with remotely controlling almost any aircraft, especially if you don't care much about landing the thing intact. Secure long-range communications can be a bit tricky, keeping in mind that it must be two-way in order to both guide and see where it's going.
Causing the remote device to misinterpret that communications link as a homing beacon could have all kinds of interesting results. But I'm sure those Iraqis would be too dumb to think of anything like that. The Persians have never been much good at military science. Have they?
Yes and Iran is not Gaza. The only thing holding Israel back from hitting Iran is Iran can hit back.
Not to mention causing the U.S. to think twice about a country that hasn't (yet) been weakened in advance by sanctions.
It's a dilemma. If those nasty Iraqis ever did acquire nuclear deterrence it could really screw up the whole 'full spectrum dominance' thing for the entire Middle East.
RV said "It's a dilemma. If those nasty Iraqis ever did acquire nuclear deterrence it could really screw up the whole 'full spectrum dominance' thing for the entire Middle East." And also in another post.
I think you mean "Iranians." I know it's hard to tell the spelling apart just like the people, both of whom are dark and different. Looking at a map and all four letters of each country might help.
Quite right. I did mean Iran, not Iraq. But it was just a typo. Please excuse. No offense intended. I really do know that Arabs and Persians aren't the same.
Recognition of mutual interests and common enemies might not be a bad idea, however.
Israel has been very cosy with Georgia for some time, donating military training, hardware, drones etc.
This gives another route to Iran via a short hop over Azerbaijan to the Caspian Sea and then into Iran.
Alternatively they could use Armenian airspace.
Gotta spend that extra 30 billion dollar windfall that Obama approved for Israel somewhere. Per capita, Israel receives more aid, loan guarantees etc. than any place on earth including US citizens.
Can't blame Israel for that, the USA is cheerleading them and funding them. Israel is just doing imperial business as usual and it is free money to boot. A win-win situation for them.
Are you ready for WORLD WAR 3 ...
Starring Israel & The United WAR States of America
the theatre will be in the Middle East - Starting in Iran.
remember kids, during a Nuclear Attack, ... Duck & Cover
peace. love. anarchy
may never come in our lifetime - not under this administration - not while the United WAR States and Israel have a say about it.
isn't it amazing, the Twisted Rationale by Israel and its Big Brother USA?:
it's OK for Israel and the USA to amass the most devastating WMD's - place them anywhere in the world - threaten ANY country that doesn't fall in line, invade and undermine ANY culture that doesn't accept the US/Israel diktat, develop ANY armament that they openly can announce "can reach inside" any selected country....
but any and all of the above ISN'T ALLOWED to any other country that these two Rogue Nations threaten and demand Regime Change to Bow to the US/ISRAEL world hegemon of murderous, racist rampage and exploitation.
quite .....breathtaking in its debauchery. it's practically BEYOND "biblical proportions" in its arrogance and hypocrisy.
Unfortunately this arrogance is the inevitable result of the US having become the "only superpower" - it is accountable to no one and could care less about world opinion (witness the Iraqi aggression).
It is doubly unfortunate that it is unconditionally supportive of the Mad Dog of the Middle East.
Chet and RV - what is so SAD is that -- there are so MANY Americans (i'm guessing yourselves to be so, otherwise I apologize if I am wrong) ...so many , that are like yourselves and many here and elsewhere and "out there" - that are conscientious and would dearly wish for the USA "our country, our leaders" - to do the RIGHT thing which is that :
in a world of varieties of cultures and histories - with cultures evolving in their own way - despite the great wrongs, generally STILL finding, as human societies some way of coexisting -
we then have this Monstrosity - such as the USA and the "USA/ISRAEL" tandem that simply can't seem to abide having any "rivals" or challenges or alternatives to their "way". ...and it speaks ILL of americans, including , against their own will and conscience , those that are like yourselves and many others here and elsewhere...and it presents to the world an "american face" that is VERY, VERY ugly.
can you imagine any of you, as americans, going abroad - and being identified as such and secretly being shunned or vilified because of what the USA ...and its partnership with israel as Hegemon and wanna-be-master of the world (the very thing it accuses OTHERS of doing) ...
and without YOUR permission - your own country, government, corporations do the things they do that present YOU , simply for being american, as "bad guy?"...which is an ironic turn of phrase that americans LOVE to use about OTHERS?
I will give a personal example:
MY own home country, the philippines has a BAD, VERY BAD subculture of a version of "warlords" in its politics:
in which elections - generally dependable - but in some pockets of the country far less so, can be rigged or fought over by warring factions, families (some even WITHIN families and clans) - by means of having their own Private Armies?..
but that is NOT what Filipinos support generally....but the few that resort to such intimidations give a VERY , VERY bad face to everyone ELSE.
and that is something i can NOT defend even if I wished it were otherwise.
the same applies to americans or anyone else. and the sad thing and FRIGHTENING thing about it is that because of the USA's GREAT power - that spans the globe, its cynical and abusive use of its power spreads the consequences far and wide and LONG into the future...
and people everywhere will hand down through the generations the judgment:
"Americans do these things".
I remember growing up in the philippines in the 60's and it was not unusual in towns to have GOOD impressions of americans because of the PEACE CORPs under John Kennedy.
whatever ELSE have been the "ulterior" motive of the USA in advancing these "representatives" or some might even say , more skeptically, "agents of american empire"....
these young men and women , these americans behaved WELL...and showed (at least in appearance in their behavior and works) ...a GENUINE interest in helping people of a much poorer country ...such as in teaching and helping in accessing clean water, irrigation, good business practice, etc...
and so ...the general impression by the common folk was ADMIRING of "americans" ..and these young folks were easily embraced and made to feel at home.
but then -- look at its contrast at the MUCH BIGGER foreign policy of the USA :
its BOMBS, its MIlitarism, its Corporatism, its exploitation, its "demands" , its Threats, its sanctions, its invasions, its support for "friendly" rightwing dictators....its torture, its assassinations, etc...
what has potentially GOOD things such as the "peace corp" young people, if they were a generation that really were sincere in helping others elsewhere, STAND against THAT monstrous foreign policy
"that has always been designed to render weaker nations PERMANENTLY subject to our will and the will of our Chamber of Commerce.....from a very, very vicious system of exploitation that dehumanizes and Enslaves People everywhere?" (John Perkins, former CIA "economic hitman") ?
the good thinking, ethical, conscientious americans - DO NOT deserve to be thought of that way by the rest of the world because so much EVIL has been done in THEIR name.
but -- that is become the consequence of EMPIRE.
and THAT is tragic and sad.
I'm American only in the continental sense (i.e., not USan). So I have even less influence on US-led geopolitics than those who are citizens of the imperial center. But that's no excuse. We all have to share some of the blame for the current state of human affairs globally.
The biggest problem is finding solutions that are truly realistic and practicable and not just idealistic wishful thinking. I have a horrible feeling that it may be taken out of our hands entirely before we can get there. On the other hand, at my age, some drastic culmination wouldn't be entirely unwelcome so long as the planet itself survives -- and it will.
Right on. In fact, denying other countries the same rights to amass devastating WMDs in like manner is the least of it. The hypocrisy also extends to denying the right of even minimal deterence against their threatened use.
Just in case you didn't think that Israeli Aerospace Industrials, that produced these weapons, is thick as thieves with American arms manufacturing, check this out:
http://www.iai.co.il/35344-40105-en/MediaRoom_NewsArchives_2009.aspx
On November 16, 2009 Stark Aerospace, a subsidiary of IAI, held a grand opening of a new plant in Columbus Mississippi to a chorus of praise of MS politicans for the company in bringing much-needed jobs to the state, and contributing so mightily to the "national security" of the United States.
Thanks for the info phoenix. Israel is fully embedded in the US MIC, to be sure. Like some have said, Israel is the US's "mini-me"
I'm as disturbed and worried about the drumbeating over Iran as anyone. However just because Iranian nuclear programmes feeds into the war agenda that does not mean they aren't trying to build a bomb.
The latest IAEA report is worrying http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61H4EH20100218 and these were the same guys telling Bush that Iraq had no nuclear ambitions, certainly they cannot be accused of being warmongers.
Iranian nuclear capacity may worry Israel but the real issue for Iran is Saudi Arabia. The race to become the top Muslim nation in the Mid-East is not just political but religious.
For Iran the acquisition of nuclear arms will cement their regional dominance and the power of the region's minority Shi'a Muslims. Much as Iranians fear the reality of Israeli bombs they also fear the possible development of a Sunni bomb by the House of Saud.
The scariest thing is that if Iran does develop the bomb then Saudi Arabia will try and develop the bomb and that way lies chaos. The need for strong leadership on the subject of global disarmament is critical. Instead we get the Israeli army ... time to duck and cover.
Penfold: developing a bomb and having the motivation and especially the ability to deliver it are all essential to a nuclear "threat." If "having" a bomb was itself sufficient to constitute a threat, Israel would long since have been a threat. This new information of Israel's capability to fly drones into Iran (their claim) makes Israel and not Iran the real nuclear "threat" in this situation. What is the world community doing about THAT threat?
On Israel couldn't agree more. The fact that Israel has nuclear bombs is really scary and shows a criminal negligence on behalf of US in failing to prevent proliferation (don't even get me started on India and Pakistan).
We need global disarmament.
In terms of what a nuclear threat is, I do take issue. Currently the accepted thinking seems to be that no one who has a bomb would use a bomb, and the basis for that theory seems to be that (WWII aside) no one has done so yet. There's a great story of a man who fell off a tall building. As he falls he comforts himself by saying 'so far so good ... so far so good'. Simply owning a bomb constitues a threat, whether it is held by the USA or North Korea.
My particular fear of an Islamic bomb is really about stability of these countries. Whatever can be said about Israel (and I could say plenty) it is constitutionally sound. A nuclear bomb has a shelf-life considerably longer than the lifespan of many Middle-Eastern governments (the current Iranian regime has only lasted since '79 and already there are riots on the streets). The dangers of nuclear weapons are amplified by instability. We survived Russia in the early 90's, and so far the instability in Pakistan (though if I lived in Delhi I would be losing sleep). If proliferation continues unchecked then one of these days a bomb will go missing and in a region of the world where people strap semtex to their children's chests that is a horrifying prospect.