It was still possible the Iraqi Survey Group - a team of experts tasked with looking for evidence of weapons - might turn up some weapons, he said.
But if passed, they believe it will put pressure on countries involved in the export or transfer of arms to scrutinise more rigorously both the potential use of weapons and what the consequences of their use might be, such as breaches of human rights.
Some said the map would prompt burglaries because thieves are now aware of where weapons might be found.
On the other hand, if this crisis is resolved with the perpetrator of aggression decisively defeated precisely because his aggression was backed by weapons of mass destruction, this first conflict of what might be called "the Proliferation Age" may well send a highly salutary deterrent message to those considering obtaining such weapons.
The traditionalists argue that existing definitions of war are more than adequate, that while the practice of war might change (including weapons and tactics) the fundamental nature of war does not: it is still about damage, destruction, injury, or death inflicted for political purposes, usually by state actors.
And he has blocked development of new nuclear weapons that might replace aging devices in the current arsenal.
In another potentially destabilizing element, Israel signaled last week that it will keep striking at shipments of advanced Iranian weapons that might be bound for Hezbollah.
Suppose the United States seizes a vessel it suspects of shipping dual-use items that might be utilized to build weapons of mass destruction or other tools of terrorism.
CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Key critics dissect arguments for LOST
Whether Ahmadinejad believes that he can prompt the return of the Mahdi through the instigation of a regional war, perhaps one that might see the use of nuclear weapons, is unknowable, but this is not a prospect on which we should wait around for the answer.
CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: A Nuclear Iran: The Case for Action
The US has refrained from arming the rebels, in part because of concerns the weapons could eventually fall into the hands of Islamist militants who might attack its interests.
But, whatever Mr Bush's scepticism about the usefulness of sanctions, he is unlikely to pursue a softer policy so long as Iran is suspected of using Russian technology to develop nuclear and biological weapons, devices that Iran's ballistic missiles might be capable of delivering to Israel.
She acknowledged that other provisions of a gun-control package might have a better chance of passing without the controversial assault weapons ban.
Third, the Review envisages the development of new, tactical nuclear weapons with smaller warheads, which might, for example, be used to penetrate fortified underground bunkers.
If the intelligence is sound, then the practical side of seizing these weapons stockpiles, and destroying the long range missiles, might not be insurmountable.
In the past, some Democrats in Congress might have questioned the propriety of selling high-tech weapons to a government noted for its conservative social policies.
FORBES: Obama Makes Arms Sales A Key Tool Of U.S. Foreign Policy
Skeptics might point to the federal assault weapons ban (a section of the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act) that Congress let expire in 2004 as a failure that did not affect overall homicide rates.
This will allow them, for instance, to demand to be shown evidence of what has become of missiles that could be filled with chemical or biological agents, or the stocks of previously uncovered material that might be used to make such weapons.
The U.S. military has a long tradition of conducting war games, not so much to predict whether a war will occur, but to figure out how to use new weapons, how to best organize the military and how political considerations might shape the conduct of war.
CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Grasping the Importance of Space Power
At times, decoy missions might be run to ensure the element of surprise on arrival at a suspected weapons site.
In airline security , we might spend less time futilely searching for hidden weapons and instead focus on the real problem of identifying potential terrorists.
Hans Blix, the current head of the UN's inspection arm, has said he might be able to provide an idea about what Saddam Hussein has in the way of weapons of mass destruction within a year.
Yet the Obama administration seems to think that while Soviet leaders were deterred from using their massive arsenal, the Iranians and the North Koreans might not be deterred from using a nuclear force of no more than a handful of weapons at best.
But America's fears are economic as well as military: it suspects that the EU might try, for instance, requiring aircraft entering its air space to use Galileo-based navigation systems, to the detriment of American firms with products based on GPS. And European countries, China and the like might develop weapons that are compatible with Galileo rather than GPS, which would mean American defence firms losing a competitive advantage.
应用推荐