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Poland Finds Nuke Material Behind Sofa
Poland has capacities to build a nuclear bomb, in fact it has enough fuel to build about a dozen. Shocking?
The country is not on the list of states with nuclear capacities such as the U.S. and Russia, which are busy negotiating a new nuclear arms reduction treaty. Still, the Polish prime minister received an invitation to attend the April nuclear summit in Washington, D.C
Until now, there has been no information on the country possessing enough material or planning to build a nuclear bomb, so why should Poland be involved in a summit like that?
As it turns out, Poland is among 44 countries included in an annex of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that lists states with nuclear power or research reactors. According to a former chairman of the Polish nuclear administration, the country is capable of building nuclear weaponry thanks to a research reactor active since the early 1970s that has given it enough fuel for 10 or more bombs.
To many in Poland, the countrys newly revealed potential came as a surprise and has already led to some political controversies. Since building a nuclear bomb could theoretically be an option, is there even enough time for Polish politicians to discuss the matter among themselves in the two weeks before President Barack Obama could ask the countrys leadership to surrender the arms it hasnt even produced?
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Thursday that he wouldnt agree to give up the nuclear bombs that Poland doesnt have, partly because it doesnt have them. Obviously, there must then be another reason why hell refuse to surrender his paper bombs, and its not that difficult to guess what it is.
After decades with a military draft and an underfunded army that is only beginning to go professional, Polands defense capabilities are far below its economic potential and too insufficient considering its history and place on the map. It will take many years, if not decades, for Poland to develop a deterrent capacity, and in the meantime the country relies on NATO allies to defend it against any military aggression, as unlikely as it now seems.
But will it always remain as unlikely as today? And will NATO be willing to defend Poland in a way and as fast as the country would like it to? Initially, some Polish elites thought Polands entry into NATO and the European Union would mean a Polish kind of the end of history. Now the world seems just a little bit more complicated.
Poland has already contributed more than Obama would have wanted toward his dream of a world without nuclear bombs it didnt build one even though it could have. But should it make a promise to close the research reactor and dispose of all its nuclear materials, it would mean one less card to play in the already thin Polish military deck.
Poland Finds Nuke Material Behind Sofa - New Europe - WSJ
Poland has capacities to build a nuclear bomb, in fact it has enough fuel to build about a dozen. Shocking?
The country is not on the list of states with nuclear capacities such as the U.S. and Russia, which are busy negotiating a new nuclear arms reduction treaty. Still, the Polish prime minister received an invitation to attend the April nuclear summit in Washington, D.C
Until now, there has been no information on the country possessing enough material or planning to build a nuclear bomb, so why should Poland be involved in a summit like that?
As it turns out, Poland is among 44 countries included in an annex of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that lists states with nuclear power or research reactors. According to a former chairman of the Polish nuclear administration, the country is capable of building nuclear weaponry thanks to a research reactor active since the early 1970s that has given it enough fuel for 10 or more bombs.
To many in Poland, the countrys newly revealed potential came as a surprise and has already led to some political controversies. Since building a nuclear bomb could theoretically be an option, is there even enough time for Polish politicians to discuss the matter among themselves in the two weeks before President Barack Obama could ask the countrys leadership to surrender the arms it hasnt even produced?
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Thursday that he wouldnt agree to give up the nuclear bombs that Poland doesnt have, partly because it doesnt have them. Obviously, there must then be another reason why hell refuse to surrender his paper bombs, and its not that difficult to guess what it is.
After decades with a military draft and an underfunded army that is only beginning to go professional, Polands defense capabilities are far below its economic potential and too insufficient considering its history and place on the map. It will take many years, if not decades, for Poland to develop a deterrent capacity, and in the meantime the country relies on NATO allies to defend it against any military aggression, as unlikely as it now seems.
But will it always remain as unlikely as today? And will NATO be willing to defend Poland in a way and as fast as the country would like it to? Initially, some Polish elites thought Polands entry into NATO and the European Union would mean a Polish kind of the end of history. Now the world seems just a little bit more complicated.
Poland has already contributed more than Obama would have wanted toward his dream of a world without nuclear bombs it didnt build one even though it could have. But should it make a promise to close the research reactor and dispose of all its nuclear materials, it would mean one less card to play in the already thin Polish military deck.
Poland Finds Nuke Material Behind Sofa - New Europe - WSJ
