Pakistan’s Nukes

Since Sept 11, America’s greatest national security nightmare is nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists. For the last 8 years we have succeeded in keeping the two apart.

But a new threat looms on the horizon. When we pushed Al Qaeda out of Afghanistan, they moved over the border into the tribal areas of Pakistan, and are now closely allied with the Pakistani Taliban. They’ve expanded into the Swat Valley and threaten Pakistan’s urban heartland with attacks and suicide bombings. Last year they had advanced to within 60 miles of the capital. They recently attacked Pakistan’s Pentagon in broad daylight.

While this is of interest to America, it would not be of vital national interest except for the fact that Pakistan has nuclear weapons. Were Pakistan to fall to the Taliban, they and their al Qaeda allies would control a nuclear arsenal. Short of that, a destabilized Pakistan could open the door to terrorist theft of nuclear materials. Either way it’s our worst nightmare – nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists.

So, how safe are Pakistan’s nukes? The Pakistani government has assured us they’ve taken safeguards, and are insulted that we’ve even posed the question. Secretary Clinton and JSC Chairman Admiral Mullen have voiced confidence that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are secure. But still, with what amounts to a civil war being fought in the tribal regions between the Pakistani Army and the Taliban, how confident are we really? Should we be making contingency plans to secure Pakistan’s nuclear weapons?
At this point, we’re walking a narrow line. Pakistan’s Army is fighting a to-the-death struggle with the Taliban, and so far they’re succeeding. But they can’t do it without major assistance from us. Yet the majority of Pakistanis are frankly, anti-American. The presence of American forces on their soil would hamper, not help, the government’s efforts.

Pakistan’s leaders aren’t saints, but they’re the only thing that stands between the terrorists and nuclear weapons. We should support them, quietly, and have some contingency plans, even more quietly.