AMONG those who can contemplate mass slaughter, the euphemism is sometimes the deadliest weapon of all.
It can be launched without warning, as if from a clear sky, and leave not a trace of rational thought behind. It lays waste to self-respect, too.
Take the phrase "non-nuclear weapons states". On the face of it, the words bear only a single interpretation: countries without nukes. According to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Turkey are just such paragons. It is, after all, a well-known fact: these are staunch Nato allies who never make the lists of nuclear club members.
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