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Pakistan building new reactors?
Pakistan: just the kind of stable, responsible country we'd like to see expanding its ability to produce nuclear weapons. The Institute for Science and International Security reports:
ISIS has obtained commercial satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe taken on September 3, 2008, May 18, 2008 and February 9, 2008 of the Khushab plutonium production reactor site in Pakistan. The imagery shows further construction of the second and third plutonium production reactors at Khushab (Figure 1), and that construction of the second reactor may be nearing completion. The images show a clearly visible row of cooling towers, typically built in the later phase of reactor construction (Figure 3). Given this state of construction, the second reactor could start in a year.
Once completed, these reactors will increase several-fold Pakistan’s ability to make weapon-grade plutonium for nuclear weapons. The wider implication of Pakistan increasing its plutonium production capacity must not be overlooked—there is a real risk that it will exacerbate an India-Pakistan nuclear arms race and increase tensions more broadly between the two.
- Nukes | Pakistan | South Asia












Made in the USA
Gee, what might be prompting the Pakistanis to do this now? Maybe the US-India nuke deal? Great way to stabilize the region. Heckuva job, Bushie.
In the last 30 years or so,
In the last 30 years or so, The White House strategy in Middle East hasn't changed much, and it sucks!
Hasn't changed?
@sam: Sorry but you're wrong on this (the lack change, not the s*ck part) . Take a look at American-Iranian political relation of the last 30 years and tell me it hasn't changed.(allies/ennemies/allies/ennemies/...)
I think the USA/Israel position as stayed pretty much the same (please correct me if I'm wrong) but it's not the case for the other countries of the middle east. There as been a lot of shifting in US position there. I don't have any quick reference I could give you, but take the time to read about it, you'll be impressed.