|
|
Iraq, Balkans Unrest Raise Danger of Nuke Mistake
A top Russian defense official said on March 2, 1999 that Russia's disputes with the West over Iraq and Yugoslavia could increase the chances that Moscow would retaliate after a false warning of a missile attack.
By GSReport
Start Date: 3/10/99
In an extraordinary statement that some have interpreted as a veiled threat, a top Russian defense official said on March 2, 1999 that Russia's disputes with the West over Iraq and Yugoslavia could increase the chances that Moscow would retaliate after a false warning of a missile attack. Such a false attack warning might result from Y2K-induced radar errors or other causes, according to Vladimir Dvorkin, head of a Defense Ministry department in charge of missile-warning systems.
Dvorkin was quoted by Russia's Interfax news agency and the Associated Press.
Russia has been slow to address the Y2K problem. Russian defense officials are reportedly planning to cooperate with their counterparts in the United States, China and other nuclear-armed nations to assure that there is no accidental nuclear incident caused by Y2K. But Dvorkin's statement suggests that Russia might use the threat of a nuclear accident as diplomatic leverage against the West.
Russia has repeatedly called on Washington to stop bombing in Iraq's no-fly zones and to withdraw any threats of bombing in Yugoslavia due to the Kosovo crisis. With such tensions ongoing, "the risk of making the wrong decision is higher," Dvorkin said.
"The risk of such mistakes, including those caused by the unresolved Y2K problem, would be eliminated if international tensions eased, especially in conflict regions such as Iraq and Yugoslavia," he said.
Dvorkin offered assurances that the risk of any Russian missile being launched by accident is "negligible," but he also said that 74 control centers of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces were in "critical" condition because of their unpreparedness for Y2K. Russia has appealed to NATO for up to $3 billion in aid to help solve their Y2K problems.
 Excelsior, Michael Lindemann's new novel (written under the pen name Michael Paul), depicts a wholly plausible near future in which human cloning is both widespread and widely abused; terrorists have access to target-specific biological weapons; recreational space travel is commonplace; and mounting pressures of global climate change, environmental decline, population growth and civil unrest inspire radical new approaches to urban security.
|
Built by Frontier on a Macintosh on 6/17/00; 11:59:14 AM.
Web Comments  -
Produced by Larry Lowe
Served 1372 times since 3/10/99.
|
HIV Can Hide in Body for Decades
New research shows that current HIV-suppressing drugs cannot cure or prevent AIDS, because the HIV virus can 'hide' in the human body for up to 60 years.
China Got U.S. Nuke Secrets -- How Much Damage?
A Congressional report says China succeeded in acquiring highly sensitive U.S. nuclear secrets during three successive administrations, a charge China denies.
Cities Hold Key to Winning Environmental Battle
The growth of cities is greatly outpacing the growth of human population. Cities now account for the bulk of carbon emissions, water consumption and other key aspects of human impact upon the planet.
A Vision of a Coming Age of Prosperity
In 'The Long Boom,' author Peter Schwartz and colleagues argue that economic and social conditions could get steadily better for the majority of Earth's people in the years ahead.
Water Shortages Threaten Food Supplies and Peace
In much of the world, producing adequate supplies of food increasingly depends upon unsustainable levels of irrigation. Methods exist to use available water much more efficiently, but time is running short.
World May Be on Edge of Environmental Revolution
There are growing signs that the world may be nearing an environmental revolution comparable to the political revolution that swept Eastern Europe a decade ago, according to the Worldwatch Institute.
Anniversaries: U.S. Recalls Two Historic Disasters
During the last week of March, 1999, the U.S. looked back on the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster of 20 years ago, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster ten years ago.
Revolt Against Genetically Modified Foods Gains Force
In recent months, a consumer backlash against genetically modified (GM) foods has exploded across much of Europe and now threatens to stop the GM industry in its tracks.
Nuclear Industry Faces Slow Slide to Oblivion
According to the Worldwatch Institute, the nuclear power industry is at its peak of power capacity now and will start declining within two years, toward eventual extinction sometime in the mid-21st century.
The Future According to Gordon-Michael Scallion
Do the startling predictions of this 'Latter-Day Nostradamus' make sense? Some actually do -- but many others don't.
|
|
