1:14 PM :: Stephen (contact)

We Will Not Tolerate a Nuclear Bhutan:Josh notes that Lichtenstein has now ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and we can all sleep more soundly. (This presumably comes after that nation's first nuclear test rendered much of the small principality uninhabitable.) A number of nations, such as Cuba and North Korea, have never even signed the treaty. Other non-signatories to the treaty, however, include:

• The Bahamas.


• Barbados.


• Bhutan.


• Dominica. (No, not the Dominican Republic, but Dominica. According to its official website, "The youngest island in the Caribbean, erosion has yet to dull the sharpness of her terrain. Beautiful dramatic angles are everywhere. Energetic rivers run vigorously." On nuclear power, perhaps? For why else would the first item under "Things to See & Do" be "Our Boiling Lake"?)


• Niue. (Don't believe this one exists? It's not surprising -- the Niue Tourism Office describes it as "undiscovered," "unspoiled," and "unbelievable.")


• St. Vincent and the Grenadines.


• Tonga.


• Trinidad and Tobago.

All in all, I'd say Lichtenstein's the least of our problems. We're looking at the prospect of a nuclear-armed Caribbean any day now. And as Tom Lehrer wrote,

Luxembourg is next to go,
And (who knows?) maybe Monaco.
We'll try to stay serene and calm
When Alabama gets the bomb.