LAHORE Whether it is Pakistan, Iran or any other Muslim country, the West is never tired of hurling threats to them. The Iraq story is now common knowledge. Tony Blair, the then British Prime Minister, has now revealed in an interview that he favoured removing Saddam, even if he knew that he had no WMD. For Pakistan, Rice, former US Foreign Secretary talked about existence of 'contingency plans in case situation in Pakistan flew off the handle. The Economist makes startling revelations about preparations to attack Irans nuclear facilities. It states that two ex-Senators and one former General (Charles Wald) had prepared a report in which they had recommended that 'the United States must now plan overtly for military action, if only to strengthen diplomacy. The magazine under paragraph titled 'Time for a Strike adds that Israels threats of military action might be more credible than Americas. It also considers Israelis threats more credible in view of Israels brazen bombing of Osirak (Iraq) reactor and Syrian nuclear reactor under construction (2007), it added. 'Last year Israel carried out a long-distance military air exercise over Greece that looked like a rehearsal for action in Iran. In June a missile carrying Israeli submarine ostentatiously sailed through the Suez Canal. And recently, Israel and America conducted large-scale missile-defence exercise to demonstrate their ability to fend off possible retaliation by Iran. Islam is the common bond between Iraq, Iran, Syria and Pakistan. Thats why they are bete-noire of the aforementioned countries. They should take the threats seriously. Not long ago, the US had no scruples while threatening Japan. It had even planned to use biological weapons to destroy its crops, including rice, the Japanese staple food, if Japan did not admit defeat. It is however a different matter that even the A-bombs could not force Japan to an unconditional defeat. The US had to reluctantly agree to retention of the Japanese King. One should not be startled at mention of the biological weapons. The 'civilised West never hesitated to use them in the past. Pamela Weintraub points out, in her Bio-terrorism , that the British forces used small pox as a biological weapon during the French and Indian Wars (1754-67). 'The British forces in North America distributed blankets used by small pox patients to American Indians. The resulting epidemic killed more than 50 per cent of many affected tribes. Even before presentation of the afore-quoted Wald report, the US has been using 'threats as an instrument of foreign policy. Let us have a birds-eye view of American threats in historical perspective. In 1946, Truman threatened Soviets regarding Northern Iran. The same year, he sent SAC bombers to intimidate Yugoslavia following the downing of US aircraft over Yugoslavia. In 1948, he threatened the Soviets in response to Berlin blockade. In 1950, he threatened the Chinese when US Marines were surrounded at Chosin Reservoir in Korea. In 1951, they ordered to attack Manchuria with nuclear weapons if a significant number of new Chinese forces joined the war. Eisenhower followed his footsteps. In 1953, he threatened China to force an end to Korean War on terms acceptable to the United States. In 1954, his Secretary of State Dulles offered French three tactical nuclear weapons to break the siege at Dienbienphu (Vietnam). In 1954, he used nuclear-armed SAC bombers to reinforce CIA-backed coup in Guatemala. Following their invasion of Egypt, Bulganin (1956) threatened London and Paris with nuclear attacks if the invading forces did not withdraw. Eisenhower quickly retaliated by threatening the then USSR while advising the invaders to withdraw from Egypt. In 1958, he ordered Joint Chiefs of Staff to prepare to use nuclear weapons against Iraq, if necessary, to prevent Iraqi revolution to spill over into Kuwait. The same year, he ordered Joint Chiefs of Staff to prepare to use nuclear weapons against China if they invade the Island of Quemoy. In 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy threatened Soviets during the Berlin Crisis and then in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1967, Johnson threatened Soviets during Middle East War. The same year, he publicly threatened to use nuclear weapons to break siege at Khe Shan. Nixon was no less a bully. Look at his 'November Ultimatum against Vietnam and 1970 announcement to fight nuclear war during Black September War in Jordan. In 1973, Kissinger threatened Soviet Union during the last hours of the 'October War in the Middle East. The same year, Nixon pledged to South Vietnamese President Thieu that he will respond with nuclear attacks or the bombing of North Vietnams dikes if the latter violated the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords. In 1975, US Defence Secretary Schlesinger threatened North Korea with nuclear retaliation should it attack South Korea in the wake of the US defeat in Vietnam. In 1980, Carter Doctrine was announced which was reaffirmed by Reagan in 1981. During 1990-91, Bush threatened Iraq during the 'Gulf War. In 1993, Clinton threatened North Korea. In 1996, during the Taiwan crisis, Clinton sent two nuclear-capable aircraft carrier fleets through the Taiwan Strait. The same year, Clinton threatened Libya with nuclear attack to prevent completion of underground chemical weapons production complex. In 1998, he threatened Iraq with nuclear attack. In 2002, Bush threatened to counter any Iraqi use of chemical weapons to defend Iraqi troops with chemical or biological weapons with a US nuclear attack. In 2006 and 2007, President Bush and Presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton threatened to destroy Irans nuclear infrastructure. Hence, it is observed that the US used bunker busters, 70 times more powerful than the Hiroshima A-bomb, in Afghanistan. These bombs were designed to destroy enemy command bunkers and WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) installations buried hundreds of feet beneath the surface. During his election campaign, Barack Obama, had stated that if elected, he will negotiate complete elimination of the worlds nuclear weapons. Let us see, if he does anything more than hurling threats.