Tom_B said:
This is something out of a script for a really bad action adventure movie. The premise has no relationship to reality.
Why not, Tom? We seem to be constantly worried (presumably with some reason) about a group of people living in caves in Afghanistan or Pakistan getting ahold of nukes (or making one) - I see no logical reason that a possibly much better placed group of extremists in the US couldn't do this just as easily. Whether or not the bomb was actualy dropped by a "hijacked" B-52 or a stolen learjet probably wouldn't change the Muslim world's reaction significantly if it was known the perpetrators were anti-Muslim US citizens.
IF this happened, the US would certainly lose all credibility in the Arab/Muslim World and Americans would not be safe anywhere. Probbaly many Muslim states would break relations with the USA and, to the extent they themselves were not targets of Al Queda and like-minded groups, they would throw all support behind them in their anti-US campaign. Any remaining pro-American regimes in the Muslim world would quickly be overthrown. The US would be forced to abandon all operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The survival of Israel might get iffy.
However, I do not agree with David's assertion the USA would be automatically condemned by every nation on the earth, or become a pariah state. A lot would depend on how the US govt reacted. Presuming the US adopted a suitably apologetic tone, undertook thru the UN a massive restitution program, cooperated fully with the inevitable UN investigations, and took suitable action against anyone in official authority who could have prevented this, many western and Asian nations would be willing to accept this was just a horrible act of terrorism, in which the USA was also a victim, although of course not to the level of the people in Mecca. One does not easily turn the world's largest economy and military superpower into a pariah.
The idea that this could be the catalyst for total nuclear disarmament - not just of the US but of all nuclear states - is intriguing. If faced with demands for unilateral disarmament, the US might just point out this proves everybody's nuclear arsenals are unsafe and offer to participate in a total program.
