PrintFebruary 23, 2007
Nuclear Arms and Moral Equivalency
In the last few years, as the United States has endeavored, by varied means, to disarm several nations of their nuclear weapons, or weapons programs, (notably Korea and Iran) the question has been raised by some individuals questioning the basis on which we justify this effort while maintaining these weapons ourselves.On the face of it, the objection to the U.S. maintenance of these weapons while denying them to others seems reasonable, but it is premised on a flawed initial assumption. That assumption is the idea that there exists moral equivalency between the governments (and societies) in question. Victor Davis Hanson writing in National Review, October 25, 2002, noted (not supportively) a new view which assumes moral equivalency: "In the new morality, institutions, and values are seen as relative concepts, and not subject to absolute or unchanging criteria of evaluation. . . In this view Israel has nuclear weapons, so why not Iraq? America stockpiles weapons...(Read Full Article)
