Insecure Nations Will Want Nukes

I was amazed by the Opinion page article ``How to Prevent Spread of Nuclear Weapons,'' Sept. 21. Most nations expanding their military to the nuclear alternative do so partly for internal prestige but largely because of a perceived external threat.

Does the author really believe that Ukraine, surrounded as it is with instability and potential hostility, or any other nation for that matter, will give up its nuclear option in exchange for US reassurances ``that we will do more for them than any indigenous bomb or missile program could provide''? After watching what happens to helpless nations like Bosnia, this article seems naive. Jeff Siddiqui, Lynnwood, Pa.

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