PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Thomas Merton Center condemns apparent changes in nuclear policy
by Andy Mulkerin Sunday, Sep. 01, 2002 at 1:24 PM

The Thomas Merton Center, a Pittsburgh progressive organization, issued a statement Wednesday condmening the contents of the Pentagon's 2002 Nuclear Posture Review.

The Thomas Merton Center issued a statement Wednesday condemning an apparent change in U.S. nuclear policy that it says "threatens a new arms race."

The Merton Center, one of Pittsburgh's largest progressive organizations, said in a written statement that it opposes apparent changes in policy that have been reported by media organizations that received leaks from the Pentagon regarding its 2002 Nuclear Posture Review.

Parts of the review were obtained by L.A. Times columnist William Arkin, who described the plan in his March 10 column. Arkin wrote in the column that the document, which is still classified, calls for "contingency plans" with regards to nuclear conflicts with 7 nations: Russia, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, China, Libya, and Syria.

This is a major change in U.S. nuclear policy, which had called for the use of the bomb only in the most dire of circumstances. He also reports that the Posture Review "calls for new emphasis on developing such things as nuclear bunker-busters and surgical warheads that reduce collateral damage," as well as weapons that could be used against smaller, more circumscribed targets. The Merton Center lists in its statement four main objections:

- "The Bush policy abandons a key premise in the stabilizing effect of deterrence by permitting the use of nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear weapon."
- "The Bush policy destabilizes the world by encouraging other countries, threatened by the U.S. stance, to build their own nuclear arsenals."
- "The Bush policy encourages the use of global financial resources for an arms race instead of addressing the endemic social, health, and environmental crises which push peoples throughout the globe to desperation and violence."
- "Implementation of the Bush policy would violate treaty obligations, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."

In the statement the Merton Center rebukes the "permanent Cold War mentality" that it says prevails under the policy set forth in the Nuclear Posture Review. According to organizer Molly Rush, the center also is calling for a change in priorities in the national budget- from military causes to humanitarian causes, such as health care, education and the environment.

"Rather than catering to a few wealthy military contractors, the federal budget should reflect the needs and priorities of all people and the common good," said Rush.

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