Barrack Obama and A.Q. Khan
What’s that you ask? What does Barack Obama have to do with A.Q. Khan, the “father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb? Excellent question; I’m glad you asked. Give me a few moments and I’ll get around to answering it.
But first, let’s consider Pakistan. In the aftermath of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto the media has been full of stories in which dutifully concerned experts wring their hand and wrinkle their brows about the prospects of Pakistan descending into anarchy and its nuclear arsenal falling into the “wrong hands (code for al-Qaeda).
Such stories are inevitably accompanied by references to A.Q. Khan, the Pakistani metallurgist who quit his job in Europe, working for a uranium enrichment consortium, and brought back plans and blueprints that enabled Pakistan to master the uranium enrichment process and develop nuclear weapons.
While Khan was not actually the “father” of Pakistan’s bomb his help was critical and he subsequently became a wealthy and important man. That lead to his eventual downfall, because after setting up a global black market network to import the equipment and materials necessary for Pakistan’s enrichment program he eventually branched out into the export business, providing nuclear technology and equipment to other countries trying to develop nuclear weapons, such as North Korea and Libya. And some of his equipment was also purchased by Iran. So successful was he in this that his network became known as the one stop shopping center for nuclear wannabees; a “Nuclear Wal-Mart” as the IAEA referred to him.
In the case of Libya he provided a virtual turnkey factory for uranium enrichment. It was a shipment of equipment being sent by sea to Libya in late 2003 that was intercepted by the United States, which lead to the U.S. finally demanding that Pakistan shut him and his network down. Khan was forced to step down as head of Khan Research Laboratories, make a public confession and apology on television, and put under house arrest, where he remains to this day.
Now, the interesting thing about Khan is that he is the gift that keeps on giving. He is the Energizer Bunny of clandestine nuclear proliferation; his story just keeps going and going and going. By that I mean his story has been the subject of numerous books and documentaries, (some of the newer ones being The Nuclear Jihadist, America and The Islamic Bomb, Deception: Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons, The Nuclear Sphinx of Iran, and Shopping for Bombs) which still keep coming out so while we do not know all the details we do know the contours of his network fairly well.
And one thing is clear, back in the days when he was concentrating on the import side, to help Pakistan develop nuclear weapons, the intelligence agencies of the United States and some other Western countries, knew what was going on. They had so penetrated his network that they were able to build scale models of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.
They had numerous chances to pressure Pakistan about Khan and close down his network back in the late 1970s for example. Why didn’t they? Because they had bigger geopolitical fish to fry; like getting Pakistan’s assistance in aiding the Afghan mujahadeen who were fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. It was Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser who decided that Carter’s priority of preventing Pakistan from going nuclear would have to be sacrificed. He wrote, “We must both reassure Pakistan and encourage it to help the rebels. This will require a review of our policy toward Pakistan and guarantee to it, more arms aid, and, alas, a decision that our policy toward Pakistan cannot be dictated by our nonproliferation policy.” Yes, right, smart call there, Zbig.
What does all this have to do with Sen. Obama? Well, consider that one of the members of Obama’s foreign policy brain trust is, you guessed it, Brzezinski. May I respectfully suggest that with Brzezinski’s track record the senator needs his advice like he needs a hole in the head.
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You claim he supplied Iran with nuclear weaponry know-how? rubbish.
As for the tenuous relation to Obama, well I think most Americans in the 1970s were far more concerned with stopping the Soviets so obviously things were different back then…this is a poor attempt to discredit Obama… all the while the US continues to support the Israeli nuclear regime so I dont think things can really get much worse…
Comment on January 9, 2008 @ 10:57 am
It was with thoughts of people like you in mind that I deliberate broke that graf into separate sentences, keeping Iran separate from North Korea and Libya. It was the latter that I specifically referenced in the context of trying to obtain nuclear weapons.
With respect to Iran I just wrote “equipment.” It is your interpretation that makes you think I wrote that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. But I did not write that. Look at what I actually wrote. I repeat, I did not write that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.
However, it is simply a fact that Iran obtainedequipment for its centrifuge program from A.Q. Khan. The IAEA has documented it ( http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/IaeaIran/index.shtml ) and Iran acknowledges it. So there is no point in arguing about it.
Nor am I trying to discredit Sen. Obama. If I wanted to do that there are easier ways, such as pondering exactly how he plans to bring “change” to the country if elected President. As they say, talk is cheap.
Comment on January 9, 2008 @ 11:08 am
‘providing nuclear technology and equipment to other countries trying to develop nuclear weapons, such as North Korea and Iran.’
‘It is your interpretation that makes you think I wrote that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons’
‘I repeat, I did not write that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.’
Comment on January 9, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
[...] My fellow blogger David Isenberg noted below that Senator Obama should reject the advice of Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s national security adviser. The basis for David’s statement is the advice Brzezinski gave Carter in the 1970’s on U.S.-Pakistan relations. Brzezinski urged Carter to prioritize Pakistani assistance for U.S. efforts in Afghanistan over nuclear proliferation concerns. [...]
Pingback on January 9, 2008 @ 1:58 pm
Okay, that was a typo. The setence should have read, “providing nuclear technology and equipment to other countries trying to develop nuclear weapons, such as North Korea and Libya.’
It has been corrected.
Comment on January 10, 2008 @ 6:35 am
it would be interesting to see what mr brzezinski has to say about his statement 30 years later. i always have thought very highly of mr carter . while he may not have been the most effective president we ever had, he is a good and honest man.(not something i can say about our current president, except from the ineffective part) i wonder what mr carter has to say about this matter now.
Comment on January 10, 2008 @ 6:45 am
If this is so that you believe that Obama has something to do with Pakastanian’s then how did you get this information?Me being a Obama fan and such I have listened to all his speeches looked up his track record and his recent elections Sen. Obama has had nothing to do with ay Pakistanians that I am aware of.If you believe that Obama is a supporter of the pakastan Nuclear bomb project then please say so do not put a bunch of fancy words in and try to comoflouge what you are getting at.What deos the 1970′s haft to do with Obama anyways?I do not recall Obama ever running for anything in te 1970′s and why exactly do you believe he has anything to do with AQ Khan?That is what the whole meaning of this was but when I got down to the end I never seen you metion it again.I think this is just a poor excuse for Hiliary Rodham Clinton to get more votes in her favor.Just because Obama looks like a diferent race or a pakastanian deos not assure that he is so if this is some kinda racist claim please leave it out of the public and to yourself…………………….ty John
Comment on January 10, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
Folks,
Now that things have changed Mr.Obama is the President of USA, and just today Pakistan released A.Q.Khan. Let us see what happens next.
Comment on February 6, 2009 @ 10:20 am