Blaataap
26-11-04, 11:21
Is Brazil quietly building up? (Politics)
By ventonegro
Thu Nov 25th, 2004 at 12:51:39 AM EST
While North Korea and Iraq are the hotspots in the media today, regarding WMD, Brazil has quietly launched a rocket from Alcântara to space and has built an uranium enrichment facility in Rezende. Does it mean an ICBM is on the way?
The last time Brazil actively fought in a large scale war was in 1870. It was the Paraguayan War, the largest South-American conflict to date. After invading Brazil through Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul, Paraguay sustained six years of war before being utterly destroyed and crippled by the forces of Duke of Caxias.
Brazil also took part in WWII, but mostly passively. It is true that it had sent troops to Italy that had taken over some important Italian positions, but its efforts were not decisive to end the war. Lately it has sent little contigents for peacekeeping in Angola and East Timor, both Portuguese-speaking countries as well.
But after its current leftist government was elected, I feel things are changing slowly but constantly. The uranium enrichment facility has come to being in a record time for Brazilian standards of public commitment. The space programme suffered a huge setback that many thought would delay it for years to come, but after a short period of time Brazil has managed to send its first rocket to space. Not as big as the first one destroyed in a explosion some days before launch, but it's a feat nevertheless. And, during this time, it has made its biggest military deployment since WWII to Haiti.
Brazil's current president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He is a friend of Hugo Chávez and admires Fidel Castro, and this together with the fact that its government is denying UN inspectors access to some parts of the uranium facility may stir up some doubts in some places about what Brazil is really intending to do. So I personally fear that when USA gets relieved from Iraq, some pressure will be dropped on it.
I've voted for this president and I believe that Brazil will remain a peace-loving country. And I also understand that it needs to develop these kind of technologies to better its economy and regional influence. Brazil builds planes now that are sold in Europe and USA, so why not go further and send those countries' payloads to space or sell low-enriched uranium for their nuclear plants? My fear is how these recent accomplishments may be perceived by the rest of the world.
Bron: kuro5hin.org
By ventonegro
Thu Nov 25th, 2004 at 12:51:39 AM EST
While North Korea and Iraq are the hotspots in the media today, regarding WMD, Brazil has quietly launched a rocket from Alcântara to space and has built an uranium enrichment facility in Rezende. Does it mean an ICBM is on the way?
The last time Brazil actively fought in a large scale war was in 1870. It was the Paraguayan War, the largest South-American conflict to date. After invading Brazil through Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul, Paraguay sustained six years of war before being utterly destroyed and crippled by the forces of Duke of Caxias.
Brazil also took part in WWII, but mostly passively. It is true that it had sent troops to Italy that had taken over some important Italian positions, but its efforts were not decisive to end the war. Lately it has sent little contigents for peacekeeping in Angola and East Timor, both Portuguese-speaking countries as well.
But after its current leftist government was elected, I feel things are changing slowly but constantly. The uranium enrichment facility has come to being in a record time for Brazilian standards of public commitment. The space programme suffered a huge setback that many thought would delay it for years to come, but after a short period of time Brazil has managed to send its first rocket to space. Not as big as the first one destroyed in a explosion some days before launch, but it's a feat nevertheless. And, during this time, it has made its biggest military deployment since WWII to Haiti.
Brazil's current president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He is a friend of Hugo Chávez and admires Fidel Castro, and this together with the fact that its government is denying UN inspectors access to some parts of the uranium facility may stir up some doubts in some places about what Brazil is really intending to do. So I personally fear that when USA gets relieved from Iraq, some pressure will be dropped on it.
I've voted for this president and I believe that Brazil will remain a peace-loving country. And I also understand that it needs to develop these kind of technologies to better its economy and regional influence. Brazil builds planes now that are sold in Europe and USA, so why not go further and send those countries' payloads to space or sell low-enriched uranium for their nuclear plants? My fear is how these recent accomplishments may be perceived by the rest of the world.
Bron: kuro5hin.org