Carnesale leads student discussion on threat of nuclear technology

Chancellor Albert Carnesale led an undergraduate student
discussion in Ackerman on Wednesday, examining the threats
presented by nuclear weapons and international reactions to
them.

Carnesale is a former advisor to both the Department of Defense
and the CIA, and he is a well-respected expert on national
security.

The presentation focused mainly on concern regarding nuclear
technology in North Korea and Iran.

The situation in both countries, Carnesale said, resembles that
in Iraq when the United States decided to attack.

“We’ve made it worse by defining them as a part of
the “˜axis of evil,’ and talking about preemption. In
Iraq we wanted to change the regime, and in North Korea we
definitely want to change the regime,” Carnesale said.
“North Korea has everything Iraq had plus one thing: weapons
of mass destruction.”

Carnesale also said a preemptive attack on either North Korea or
Iran would not be feasible because of the political implications of
bombing a nation, the possibility of not finding the missiles and
plutonium or uranium reserves and the threat both countries pose to
neighboring nations.

“The fact is preemption just wouldn’t work,”
he said.

The dangers of either nation possessing nuclear weapons are
similar, Carnesale said.

“Why are we worried about North Korea? They’re a
very poor country, and if they had the technology they might sell
them to anyone to get foreign currency,” he said. “It
could also result in a cascade of nuclear proliferation, or they
may actually use them.”

“With Iran, it’s the same thing ““ Iran lives
in a very bad neighborhood, and, due to their larger army and
resources, going to war with them would be very different than
going to war with Iraq,” he added.

Questions from listeners addressed the threat of a nuclear
attack on the United States and the actual possibility of countries
already having nuclear technology.

“You can’t prove the negative,” responded
Carnesale. “The most you can say is we haven’t found
them yet.”

The presentation was hosted by the UCLA Undergraduate
International Relations Society as one of many presentations and
discussions throughout the quarter. Other speakers have included
Michael Dukakis, political science Faculty Fellow Stephen Bloom and
Dean of the UCLA International Institute Geoffrey Garrett.

The discussion was very successful, said the society’s
president Nick Steele. He said the group hoped to increase
undergraduate student interest through weekly discussions and guest
speakers.

“We had Chancellor Carnesale speak in order to spread
awareness of international issues within the undergraduate
population and to get students involved with the
administration,” he said.

“It’s not often students get to listen to leaders
such as the chancellor and discuss current issues with actual
experts in the field.”

The event was filled to capacity, with about 30 people in
attendance, and many of the listeners voiced an interest in the
current-day implications of nuclear weapons.

“Nuclear proliferation is the biggest threat to humanity
right now. Chancellor Carnesale clarified a lot of misconceptions
that are out there,” said third-year student Cameron Francis.
“He’s obviously an expert.”

Carnesale ended the discussion with an emphasis on the need for
diplomacy and intelligence within the United States.

“Diplomacy is not the only option, but it is the best
option,” he said