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That's ‘N'-tertainment

That's ‘N'-tertainment

Time of Indiaa day ago
Rupa Sengupta is consulting editor with the edit page of Times of India.
…when 'F'-bombers can't get peace at any prize
A Nobel gesture: Pak's army chief recently backed Trump as peace prize candidate, for supposedly preventing Indo-Pak 'nuclear war'. Little did he know the Dove would strike Iran (which doesn't – yet – have nukes) to assist Israel (which doesn't admit it does). Post-strike, Putin's pal Medvedev denied (Toma)hawk Trump deserved even a 'rigged' Nobel. Little did he know Trump would detonate an 'F'-plosive, forcing Israel-Iran's ceasefire.
During Israel-Iran's 12-day conflict, Moscow fanned nuclear fallout fears. Presumably West Asia won't be geopolitically radioactive if some – Russia-led? – countries readily 'supply' Iran with 'warheads', as Medvedev explosively claimed. What about global alarm when Russia endangers Ukraine's nuclear power plants or threatens nuclear strikes? Well, Ukraine's paying for trusting post-Soviet and pre-(and-post-)Trump security guarantors more than the nukes it renounced, see?
Medvedev's 'N-word' provoked a seeming WT'F'#@!! from Trump, who'd just prevented future WWIII by bunker-busting Iran's go-nuclear plans. Never mind that, apparently vexed by Ukraine and Gaza, Trump's likened armed conflict – which invariably involves nuclear bluster – to 'hockey' matches. Only, if you can't referee them, (midnight) hammer them.
Netanyahu normalising wargames meantime, China could now shoot for Taiwan, South China Sea, disputed borders, even world domination. And Kim Jong-un could target the Korean peninsula and beyond, daring regime changers by trial-running his war toys. Ranging from Seoul-shattering Shahed-series kamikaze drones – their blueprints reportedly sent from Russia, with love – to Hwasong missiles that could reach Mar-a-Lago.
BTW, did Kim's military parades inspire Trump's recent $45mn extravagant-za? And didn't Trump praise US's 'lethal' 'N'-subs while bashing Medvedev's 'casual' 'N'-talk? Answer: Trump and other Bibi-sitters uphold 'peace through strength'. Practised as might-is-right, nuclear-haves bully nuclear have-nots. Which makes would-be dual-users desperate to sneak into Nukesville. Unlike Trump-wooed Saudi Arabia which openly says it'll nuclearise if Iran does – and experts say stealth-bombed Iran now stealthily will.
There's no peace prize for guessing why one YUGE peacetime perk is war's windfalls. SIPRI's Yearbook 2025 says global military spending surpassed $2.7tn in 2024. Arms revenues of 100 biggest weapons-making and military services firms hit $632bn in 2023. And – manna for ICBM-lobbyists – another nuclear arms race looms. That too, when no 'great power' seems (even hopelessly) devoted to 'D' for disarmament, a stronger 'N'-deterrent than the 'F'-bomb.
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