NATO Top brass issue manifesto "Prepare for Nuclear first strike"

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Tuesday January 22, 2008 14:14 by tom eile

Five of Nato’s top strategists have issued a” radical manifesto” urging the alliance’s member states to prepare for nuclear first strikes in order to counter fanatics who , they claim , are bent on destroying the West’s “way of life” . The vehement language of the manifesto has puzzled some commentators . Robert Cooper, an influential shaper of European foreign and security policy in Brussels is quoted in the Guardian article as saying
"Maybe we are going to use nuclear weapons before anyone else, but I'd be wary of saying it out loud."

The 150 page manifesto will be delivered to the Pentagon over the next ten days . It is issued at a time of crisis for NATO whose conventional forces face the prospect of defeat in Afghanistan . According to the Guardian, it was written following discussions with active NATO commanders and policymakers, many of whom are unable or unwilling to publicly air their views.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/nato/story/0,,2244782,00.html