The purpose of bombing Iran was to forestall nuclear proliferation. We oppose proliferation. But other countries will likely pursue proliferation, and we cannot bomb them all.
According to The Atlantic, “to implement his nationalist 'America First' foreign policy Trump has spoken of reducing our international commitments.” Erstwhile allies from NATO to our Pacific partners may feel exposed without our nuclear umbrella. Ukraine possessed nuclear weapons, which it surrendered in exchange for pledges of territorial integrity. The promises included Russian promises.
What happened to Syria’s Assad, Libya’s Gaddafi, and Iraq’s Hussein when they surrendered their “weapons of mass destruction?" North Korea’s Kim offers a chilling answer.
The brutal truth is that nuclear weapons just might appear to offer their possessors a protective umbrella in a stormy, dangerous world. If we adopt isolationism, fold our umbrella, and withdraw its protection, then other, vulnerable nations just might be induced into unfolding their own. Ironically, nuclear weapons just might discourage the further development of nuclear weapons.
I am Bob Evans, and that is my perspective.
