But the new British PM insists Russia is the country the world should fear
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
Well, Britain's new prime minister Theresa May is off to a great start.
I have noticed that she frequently carries a handbag, though female politicians in today's post-feminist world are never seen with one. The subtle imitation of Mrs. Thatcher, who also carried a handbag (though it was far less unusual then) is clear.
Thatcher was known for being a lady and also being tough - the "Iron Lady." But I don't recall that Mrs. Thatcher ever promised to mass-murder the world's population and destroy the planet.
Ignoring the report of her own government that nuclear weapons are not needed to ensure the UK's security, Ms. May pushed through a bill in parliament to build 4 new submarines capable of launching nuclear missiles.
When a Scottish MP asked her if she was actually prepared to launch a nuclear weapon and to kill 100,000 people, she replied, "Yes."
Why does Britain still need a nuclear deterrent? After all, through NATO they are covered by the US nuclear deterrent the same as America's other "allies."
Well, that's because of the enormous threat to world peace posed by Russia, May says:
May claims Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons. I have never seen any such statement. The most Putin has done is remind the West that Russia possesses nuclear weapons.
And it appears such reminders are necessary, given the reckless propensity of US and UK politicians to threaten nuclear attack. Vladimir Putin has never told the world he would kill 100,000 people.
Who's really responsible for the nuclear arms race?
The Soviet Union proposed the total abolition of nuclear weapons several times during the cold war. The last time was by Gorbachev at his meeting with Reagan at Reykjavik in 1986. But Reagan refused to give up research into SDI - a proposed spaced-based missile defense system.
At any rate, the military industrial complex in the US would never allow a US president to agree on total nuclear disarmament. SDI never even existed and research into it was a joke. But it was a convenient foreign policy tool against the Soviet Union - and a convenient excuse to continue the arms race.
Today it is principally the United States which is driving a new arms race with its aggressive foreign policy and you guessed it - missile defense.
It should be mentioned that missile "defense" is actually a misnomer, since the systems can never hope to stop a full nuclear strike by Russia. Instead, they could be employed to enable a nuclear first-strike by the United States - the idea being the missile shield would be enough to stop any stray Russian nukes not killed by the US first strike.
But since a large number of Russian ICBMs are deployed on mobile launchers, which could be anywhere in Russia, the idea of destroying even most of Russia's nuclear weapons on the ground is insane.
Russia and China have both pledged never to use nuclear weapons offensively. The USA and UK adamantly refuse to do likewise, reserving the right to initiate a nuclear war if they choose.
At a conference with western media in June, Vladimir Putin desperately pleaded with journalists to tell the truth about the threat to Russia's security posed by the missile shield the US in building in Eastern Europe. There is little indication they were listening.
And there is little indication Washington's puppet politicians like Theresa May in London are listening either. It was the United States which started the aggression in Ukraine by inundating the country with Russophobic propaganda for decades by means of its NGO fronts and CIA-backed extreme nationalists. And the United States backed the overthrow of Ukraine's elected constitutional government.
Even if Theresa May follows through on her promise to bring the UK out of the EU, it is clear that she will continue Britain's status as a once great power now reduced to a mere American vassal - that is, a vassal to the "world order" of which the USA serves as the foundation stone.
If Britain's new PM is willing to threaten to unleash radioactive destruction on the world so easily, I hope her wanna-be Thatcher handbag has a lead lining.
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
Anyone is free to republish, copy, and redistribute the text in this content (but not the images or videos) in any medium or format, with the right to remix, transform, and build upon it, even commercially, as long as they provide a backlink and credit to Russia Insider. It is not necessary to notify Russia Insider. Licensed Creative Commons
Our commenting rules: You can say pretty much anything except the F word. If you are abusive, obscene, or a paid troll, we will ban you. Full statement from the Editor, Charles Bausman.