A World Without Nuclear Weapons

President Obama’s speech in Prague called for an end to nuclear weapons. As we all know it was the same day North Korea chose to launch a missile, it’s latest effort to grab somone’s attention. The speech came days after Prime Minister Netanyahuof Israel marked Iran’s danger of launching a nuclear attack on Israel.

Anne Applebaum points out in this column that there is something peculiar about this speech. She rightly points to the dangers created by nuclear proliferation in the time since any serious arms reductions have occurred. The President could only mean that America should reduce its nuclear arms to zero. No one can point to any other nation willing to abandon its means of self-defense in a very dangerous world.

The real world of geopolitics does not give second chances. Instead of “trust but verify” I am sensing “can’t we all get along”. Not very encouraging.