Iran On A Collision Course With History

The following comes from CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/01/14/iran.nuclear/index.html?section=cnn_topstories

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday painted the United States and other Western nations as bullies with "a medieval view of the world" and insisted his nation has the right to conduct nuclear research.

"A few Western states ... have nuclear arsenals, they have chemical weapons. They have microbiological weapons. And every year they establish tens of new nuclear power plants. Now they are criticizing the Iranian nation ... because they think that they are powerful," Ahmadinejad said, apparently referring to the United States and the EU-3 -- Britain, France and Germany.

But what the nut from Iran fails to recognize is that we are responsible nations. We build reactors and build arsenals for defense. And not one nation amongst those he insinuated has ever threatened another nation with annihilation like he has in regard to Israel. Why does he think that Israel is making preparations to deal with Iran's growing threat as a nuclear power in the region the same way they dealt with Iraq's?

Talks between the EU-3 and Iran stalled last year, and Iran on Tuesday resumed research at its Natanz uranium enrichment plant -- an act viewed with suspicion by the United States and EU-3, which fear the country may be planning to produce a nuclear weapon.

I wonder what gave us that idea? The rhetoric from a terrorist, possibly? And I don't want to hear anything from anyone about Ahmadinejad not being a terrorist. He was involved in the '79 hostage crisis, and he has acted like Yasser Arafat.

"Our nation does not need a nuclear weapon," Ahmadinejad said. "We are a civilized and cultured nation. We have logic, we have civilization ... Nuclear weapons are only needed for people who want to solve everything through use of force."

Ah, I guess he means as the Iranian government does against dissidents within it's borders. Look, anyone whoi thinks that Iran will just do "peaceful" nuclear research is smoking something, and not sharing. Ahmadinejad has said that he wants nuclear weapons, and he has vowed to use them on Israel. No way in Hell we're going to allow this nut access to such weapons, and a hinky excuse to use them.

Ahmadinejad maintained Iran has done nothing wrong, saying that the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty both allow development of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions will not end Iran's nuclear plans, Ahmadinejad said.
Ahmadinejad's comments came a day after President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met in Washington and jointly appealed to nations around the world to condemn Iran's nuclear activities. Bush said Iran "armed with a nuclear weapon ... a grave threat to the security of the world."

I'm apt to concur on this point. Iran with a nuclear weapon is not like the Soviet Union with a nuclear weapon, and the policy of MAD. Iran with a nuclear weapon would act much like a rogue nation, and utilize nuclear blackmail in the region. Does anyone believe that they wouldn't? They dislike Israel. They dislike the march of democracy from nations like Afghanistan and Iraq. And should the next target in the global war on terror end up being a nation like Syria, is there any reason to doubt that they wouldn't use one on coalition forces attempting a regime change there?

Germany's deputy foreign minister, in comments from an interview to be broadcast Sunday on German radio, said that imposing economic sanctions on Iran would be a "very dangerous path" and would hurt both sides, according to Reuters. He favored imposing travel restrictions on Iran.

Travel restrictions? Is he serious? Would travel restrictions have stopped Cuba from putting nuclear weapons into their nation back in the 1960s? No way. It took a blockade to end that threat. Travel restrictions would simply embolden Iran as they would take no threat as serious.

"We won't be intimidated ... You don't even want us to do some research," said Ahmadinejad. "That's not fair. Even if you bring in the international community, we're still not going to listen to you the way you want. You are just tricking us, and this is not fair. You're not going to stop our research."

Sounds like he's been studying Democrat temper-tantrums. I have news for Pres. Ahmadinejad: Life isn't fair, and you and your nation can't be trusted. You have a fanatical theocracy and a terrorist army at your command. I'm sorry but you don't get to play with the world's deadliest materials until you learn how to behave. Some might consider such a statement as imperialistic. I beg to differ because if we allow these people to obtain such a weapon, WE--the US--will be the ones tasked with cleaning up the mess. We'd like to head that off.

He accused the Western nations of using the threat of referral to the U.N. Security Council as a "stick" to threaten Iran. "Every day, they bring in a stick and tell us either we have to listen to them and do what they want or be referred to the Security Council ... You are using it as a stick, you are threatening us with it."

Better the UN Security Council to be the stick rather than the US military, or a nuclear weapon from the US, don't you think?

Without naming the United States, Ahmadinejad referred to countries imposing an "artificial peace" on other nations, a peace he said would not last -- an apparent swipe at the U.S.-led war in Iraq. He said Iran had good relations with most countries, except for a few Western nations. "They don't really want good relations with us," he said.

We'd love to have "good relations" with Iran, but not at the expense of the peace and democracy we've brought to the region. And by allowing them to have such weapons, it would be a serious breach of that peace.

Those nations, he said, also are among the world's most hated. Their leaders "can't even walk around without bodyguards," he said. "The election is always full of cheating. The turnout is very, very low."

LOL. At least we have free elections, and not ones manipulated by religious leaders, or the muzzle of a rifle. And we have bodyguards because not everyone in the nation agrees with the president. We do have some nutty individuals that, if given the chance, would waste little time in trying to kill the president--regardles of their party. And I'd like to remind Pres. Ahmadinejad that he isn't exactly popular. Dissidents in his nation dislike him as much as the Left dislikes Pres. Bush.

He also questioned whether the Holocaust occurred and said Palestinians should be allowed to decide their own fate instead of being subject to Israel.

I won't beat on him over the Holocaust comments, as we already know he's ignorant of history. However, the Palestinians have the chance now to govern themselves without Israeli interference. However, there are now repercussions for their actions. Being a sovereign state they are now subject to declarations of war from Israel. It hasn't happened yet, however it could should the violence against escalate.

All five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- Russia, China, the United States, France and the United Kingdom -- as well as Germany, will meet Monday and Tuesday to discuss the nuclear standoff, said the British Foreign Office on Friday.

I would like to hope for a peaceful resolution to this, but I'm a realist. Iran will comply, or there will be consequences, starting with sanctions. If they fail to comply further, the sanctions will continue, and regime change is never off the table. Likewise, they should be far more worried about Israel than the US; Israel is preparing for a contingency should Iran gain the ability to make a nuclear weapon. This could go very badly for Iran if they keep this up. This isn't the Clinton White House negotiating with Kim Jong-Il.

The ball is in their court. They are masters of their own destiny. Either they abide by the world community that wants their research of nuclear power under a careful watch, or they are resigned to the dust-bin of history with the rest of the totalitarian regimes of the past.

Publius II