India's nuclear weapons tests have appalled the world opinion, but were received with joy and pride by a majority of the domestic population. Again we see the symbolic meaning of nuclear weapons triumph over human sense and insight in their military uselessness.
The international reputation of India and her possibility of becoming one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council have deteriorated considerably. Instead, neighbor nations,Primarily Pakistan, may strengthen their international prestige by abstaining from a meaningless nuclear weapons race.
India's nuclear arms program is meaningless from a military point of view.Nuclear arms are not usable, in the Indian subcontinent as in all other areas. They are of as little use to India as they are to Britain, but considerably more harmful. The expected answer from Pakistan to the Indian detonations, a demonstration of the Pakistani nuclear weapons, will drastically diminish the safety of India's citizens. The relations to China, improved under the former administration, will be worsened by the tests, with similar results.
The nuclear arms program is addressed to the domestic public opinion. This goes for nuclear weapons in all countries: They are militarily unusable, but convey an illusion of strength and prestige, i India as in Britain and in all other nuclear weapons states.
We must not forget that India's tests were an almost expected consequence of the actions of the established nuclear weapons powers. For decades, they have expressed their commitment to abolish their nuclear arms, but are still planning to keep them for an undetermined period of time, in obvious violation of international law. The provoking subcritical tests carried out during the past year gas well as the development of nuclear weapons through new laboratory methods, by the Indian opinion igives legitimity to India's nuclear program. The USA recently disclosed its intention of using nuclear arms against an enemy using biological or chemical weapons, a threat, the military implications of which have not been thoroughly thought out, and in violation of international law, but never the less supported to some extent by American public opinion.
In Moscow a month ago, I raised the question whether Russia intended in the near future to bring to the fore the implementation of Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty &endash; the article stating the commitment of the nuclear powers to abolis, rather than diminish - nuclear weapons.
Foreign Minister Primakov's reply was a pronounced no.India's (and Pakistan's?) nuclear weapons tests may be the last ones, or the initiation of an extension that eventually may include several countries. The risk of a devastating nuclear war, worse than any wars Humanity has suffered, then eventually will will increase. Preventing such a development, to a great extent is the responsibility of the USA and Russia.
Gunnar Westberg
Ordförande, SLMK
17 maj 1998
The addresses of the Presidents or Prime Ministers of the established nuclear arms powersand the threshold states are provided here, for those who wish to express their opinions in al letter.
A personally worded letter is the best, of course, but our example may serve as a suggestion:
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee
Prime Minister's Office
South Block 110011
New Delhi, INDIEN Prime Minister Nawaz Charif
Prime Minister's Secretary
Islamabad, PAKISTAN President Bill Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington DC 20500, USA President Boris Yeltsin
The Kremlin
103132 Moscow, RYSSLAND President Jacques Chirac
Palais d' Elysée
55-57 Rue de Faubourg- Saint Honoré
F- 750 08 Paris, FRANKRIKE Prime Minister Tony Blair
Downing Street 10
London SW1A 2AA, STORBTITTANNIEN President Jiang Zemin
Beijing, FOLKREPUBLIKEN KINA Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Kiriat Rosh Hamansala
Jerusalem, ISRAEL
We the undersigned firmly protest against the nuclear tests recently carried out by India. Nuclear tests and nuclear bombs pose unacceptable threats to human life and must be abolished. All nuclear tests, critical and subcritical, must be stopped immediately. We urge India as well as the declared nuclear weapons states and the threshold states to pursue in good faith a prompt nuclear disarmament. We demand the total and permanent abolition of nuclear weapons. Yours sincerely
Svenska Läkare mot Kärnvapen
1997-12-02