Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Nuclear test

This refers to the editorial "The end of `non-proliferation'" (Oct. 10). The nuclear test by North Korea sounds the death knell for the NPT and limits U.S. hegemony in world affairs. Nuclear weapons are no longer the exclusive property of the rich and mighty. The premise that they are unsafe in the hands of smaller nations, advocated by the P-5 countries, was effectively challenged by India and Pakistan. North Korea has now followed suit. The latest addition to the nuclear club proves that neither economic status nor the threat of sanctions can deter a nation from accomplishing what it wants.

Colonel (retd.) Ram Gulrajani,
Chennai

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North Korea's nuclear test is a serious threat to East Asia's long- and short-term security. It may provoke South Korea and Japan to go nuclear, making the region one of the deadliest military zones in the world. China can play a constructive role in defusing the situation as it supplies much of the food and oil to North Korea. Sanctions will only destabilise the Korean peninsula.

Sutirtha Sahariah,
New Delhi

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If non-proliferation is to have some significance and the world saved from a nuclear holocaust the nuclear weapon states should give up the global policeman approach. They should enter into meaningful dialogues with non-nuclear weapon states to address their genuine security concerns.

Manohar Alembath,
Chennai

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The countries that possess nuclear weapons have no moral right to criticise North Korea. If the proliferation of nuclear weapons has to end, all nuclear weapon states should destroy their arsenal. If possession of nuclear weapon by North Korea is a threat to international order, how can its possession by the U.S. be safe?

Jiji John Thomas,
Thiruvalla, Kerala

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The whole world talks of nuclear weapon abandonment but rarely follows it. Gandhiji's words "an ounce of practice is better than tonnes of preaching" should be the guiding light for every country that wants to make the world a safer place to live in.

T.G. Vittal,
Bellary, Karnataka

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