re: #684 wilburs

This seems to me an astonishingly simplistic view. I would imagine most of the North Koreans are decent people just woefully ignorant, it is the leadership that is the problem, and they are happy to use an adversarial relationship with the US to their advantage domestically.

I think that your view of the average Iranian is a little dubious as well, This is not some backwards country of religious fanatics, it is a highly educated country with strong ties to the US, and a remarkably favorable view of the US amongst its populace.

The point I was trying to make is that this escalating adversarial relationship does not serve our interests, it empowers extremists on both sides and marginalizes the vast majority of moderate reasonable people.

I just don’t see Iran as it is constantly portrayed, the biggest threat on the planet. Not can I see any chance of them ever using a nuclear weapon, they would be vaporized in 10 minutes.

No one has used nuclear weapons in more then 60 years, but of the countries that have them, India, Pakistan and Israel are far more likely to be drawn into a situation that might escalate to that point. Yet we don’t have the same relationship with those countries. And those are the countries outside the NPT.

You should at least thank me for inspiring you to write such a long piece. Congratulations, you win the internet. You have proved me wrong and therefore I will go on living. And yes, anyone but Iran will use a nuclear weapon. But yes of course it was obvious from the onset of your complaints that anyone but Iran “would use a nuclear weapon.” Clearly we’re wrong.