This is an opinion piece from a gentleman in Pakistan. He happens to share my fear of nuclear terrorism, and he is in the middle of the area.
This is not to scare anyone...does not seem from the comments it would anyway, but we BETTER be aware, not in fear....AWARE. Once that occurs, the world will change forever.
"During the last 16 years, Pakistan and India have doubled the number of their nuclear warheads, making them the fastest growing nuclear weapons states in the world. However, India has deployed a nuclear triad of bombers, missiles and a submarine capable of firing nuclear weapons. Pakistan has also developed a network of nuclear weapons factories, plutonium reactors and nuclear missiles. India has invested a lot on spy satellites, aircraft, drones and early warning radar, while Pakistan has developed spy and modern warning systems. At present, both the states hold a massive nuclear stockpile and the size of this stockpile has doubled since 1998. Both states have developed cruise missiles and are seeking nuclear submarines. China’s tacit support to Pakistan for boosting the country’s nuclear weapons is considered to have strategic implications for India. All these weapons and strategic developments in both the states mean that confidence-building measures remain only on paper with no one wanting to extend the hand of cooperation."
"This day-to-day militarisation of potential conflict, the withdrawal of NATO and US forces from Afghanistan, and civil wars in the Middle East have all intensified the war of interests between the two states. In the presence of all these weapons, the danger of nuclear terrorism, the potential spread of nuclear materials in the black market and the recent threatened control of nuclear materials by Sunni terrorist groups (ISIS) in Iraq, has raised serious questions about the safety and security of nuclear weapons in South Asia. Pakistan faces a series of threats to its national security. These threats come from the Taliban and the likely potential use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) devices by domestic terrorist and extremist groups. The international task force on the prevention of nuclear terrorism has also warned that the “possibility of nuclear terrorism is increasing” because of a number of factors including “the conventional forms of terrorism” and the vulnerability of nuclear power and research reactors to sabotage and of weapons-usable nuclear materials to theft."
The danger of nuclear terrorism in South Asia
To this I add the backdrop of what is happening in this country as our borders are swamped by folks that we have great sympathy for and we should IF their stories are true. I have read a few links this morning that seem to think the border crisis should not worry us relative to terrorist entries and that is based on the Mexican gangs not wanting to have the wrath of the US should a terrorist attack occur and have the entry point being from there. Let us hope so, but the pourous nature of the border is a bit scary since as I have read...so many are just allowed to roam until their hearings and then we just hope they show up.
Do I have an fear of terrorism both here and throughout the word...I DO. Is it irrational...I do not believe so at all. We tend to push aside the terrorism in other parts of the world as if we are secure here.....one look at the border crisis should stem that.
To the point of the thread...Albright was correct in her assessment, and as to what we as a nation can do.....hopefully we are doing things as we speak to keep tabs on what is happening in this world, and we as citizens should stop making fun of warnings that never become real. The recent Brooklyn Bridge item should give us pause. And do not allow politicians to play you....READ....the worst thing that will happen to politicians we do not want is for us to be INFORMED