Iran refuses to meet nuclear deadline

[myata]

And here we go again, just in time for this discussion. Looks like two days cannot pass without US lecturing somebody in this world on peace and democracy: Cheney comments on China, from CBC. This is after Star Wars, Iraq, Iran, tactical N-bombs, missile defense system, and so on going all the way back to Hiroshima. Just out of curiousity, does anybody know of one single example when US could acquire some new deadly superadvanced weapon, and chose not to, out of moral peace principle?

[PolyNewbie]

Its not just nukes they use. They gassed Felluja, used white phosporous when fighting women & children.

They have no moral ground to tell anyone what to do. If it wasn't for US (international banker) foreign policy then these countries would not consider having nuclear weapons to protect their own national currencies and stop the western banks from comming in and "rebuilding for democracy".

[myata]

What I struggle to understand, is it extreme self righteousness that is oblivious to its own blatant hypocrisy, or just marketing?

[Wilber]

This is after Star Wars, Iraq, Iran, tactical N-bombs, missile defense system, and so on going all the way back to Hiroshima.

So far the only people I can think of who have used ballistic missiles in anger are the NAZI's (V2) and Saddam (Scud). I have little doubt they would have been equipped with nuclear warheads had they possessed them.

[myata]

Check your terminology please. Ballistic missiles are those that go into space and can hit a target on the other side of the globe. If you mean medium and long range missiles like this, US/UK et all used them in many operations, Iraq included.

[Wilber]

Check your terminology please. Ballistic missiles are those that go into space and can hit a target on the other side of the globe. If you mean medium and long range missiles like this, US/UK et all used them in many operations, Iraq included.

Wikipedia

A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital, ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering a warhead to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the powered phase of flight and its course is governed by the laws of orbital mechanics and ballistics.

The first ballistic missile was the A-4, commonly known as the V-2 rocket, developed by Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s under direction of Walter Dornberger. The first successful launch of a V-2 was on October 3, 1942 and began operation on September 6, 1944 against Paris, followed by an attack on London two days later. By the end of the war in May 1945 over 3000 V-2's had been launched.

The Scud is also a ballistic missile.

Your link is to a cruise missile which is basically a subsonic unmanned aircraft that generaly flies at very low level. Very accurate very long range artillary. Yes, many have been used including by Argentina against British ships in the Falklands (Exocet) but never with nuclear warheads, which they are capable of carrying.

[myata]

OK, thanks for the correction. But I fail to see your point: cruise missiles are as powerful, have longer range (than those crude missiles used in the conflicts you described) and superior precision. The US has ballistic missiles in huge numbers, but they have different purpose: as the carrier of nuclear warheads. They simply aren't useful in a conventional mid range conflict because of imprecision.

[Wilber]

OK, thanks for the correction. But I fail to see your point: cruise missiles are as powerful, have longer range (than those crude missiles used in the conflicts you described) and superior precision. The US has ballistic missiles in huge numbers, but they have different purpose: as the carrier of nuclear warheads. They simply aren't useful in a conventional mid range conflict because of imprecision.

My point is, the only reason other people don't use them is because the don't have them.