Monday, August 09, 2004
Iran stiffs the Europeans
Iran is playing some serious hardball:
It is almost quaint the extent to which Iranian intransigence has "stunned" the Europeans, who hoped to "avoid a confrontation." The Iranians are playing for a confrontation. There is no other explanation for their actions.
Consider in context the Iranian claim that their nuclear program is for energy. The mullahs run a sunshine-drenched country that sits on a sea of oil, and the United States has just crushed the only country that has attacked it in the modern era. This is a government that took diplomats hostage, has underwritten terrorism throughout the world, and which extended its own war against Iraq at staggering cost to its own people. Who could possibly believe that Iran's ambition to acquire nuclear technology springs from a desire for self-sufficiency in energy? I mean, who other than European governments desperate to avoid confrontation?
Iran seeks "dual use" nuclear technology so that it can gain leverage over the West and keep its own people in bondage. Once it has a bomb, it will be in a position to deter Western intervention in the Gulf, and it will therefore be free to exert enormous pressure on the region with potentially devestating consequences for all concerned parties.
The only sane question is how to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. And to that question there are no easy answers. It is, however, clear that the United States and Iran are locked in an escalating confrontation along several fronts, including in Iraq -- the new offensive against Al-Sadr and the indictment of Chalabi being two obvious moves against Iranian influence there -- and by the rattling of sabres in other contexts. See, for example, Condi Rice's public statement yesterday that the United States would not rule out using covert force against Iranian nuclear facilities. The resolution of this confrontation -- which could take months or years -- will result in either greatly increased or greatly decreased influence for the mullahs of Tehran, and will be quite possibly the most important indicator of American success or failure in Iraq.
Iran is demanding Europe's leading powers back its right to nuclear technology that could be used to make weapons, dismaying the Europeans and strengthening Washington's push for U.N. sanctions, a European Union official and diplomats said Monday.
It is almost quaint the extent to which Iranian intransigence has "stunned" the Europeans, who hoped to "avoid a confrontation." The Iranians are playing for a confrontation. There is no other explanation for their actions.
Consider in context the Iranian claim that their nuclear program is for energy. The mullahs run a sunshine-drenched country that sits on a sea of oil, and the United States has just crushed the only country that has attacked it in the modern era. This is a government that took diplomats hostage, has underwritten terrorism throughout the world, and which extended its own war against Iraq at staggering cost to its own people. Who could possibly believe that Iran's ambition to acquire nuclear technology springs from a desire for self-sufficiency in energy? I mean, who other than European governments desperate to avoid confrontation?
Iran seeks "dual use" nuclear technology so that it can gain leverage over the West and keep its own people in bondage. Once it has a bomb, it will be in a position to deter Western intervention in the Gulf, and it will therefore be free to exert enormous pressure on the region with potentially devestating consequences for all concerned parties.
The only sane question is how to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. And to that question there are no easy answers. It is, however, clear that the United States and Iran are locked in an escalating confrontation along several fronts, including in Iraq -- the new offensive against Al-Sadr and the indictment of Chalabi being two obvious moves against Iranian influence there -- and by the rattling of sabres in other contexts. See, for example, Condi Rice's public statement yesterday that the United States would not rule out using covert force against Iranian nuclear facilities. The resolution of this confrontation -- which could take months or years -- will result in either greatly increased or greatly decreased influence for the mullahs of Tehran, and will be quite possibly the most important indicator of American success or failure in Iraq.
1 Comments:
By 
, at
Tue Aug 10, 07:40:00 AM:
Really good post, Jack.
It would be nice if Europe would get on board now rather than later when it may be too late. Not only on Iran, but the rest of the GWOT.
Rob A.
(Fine? Why Fine?)
