Thread: Iran and the Bomb

Okay, maybe not...

I was thinking more Orwell...

Nope, it's the name of a character from G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, one of the most significant novels of the 20th century IMO.

Back to Iran... Personally I am somewhat suspicious of Iran's claims to only want nuclear power for peaceful purposes, in light of articles such as their continued ballistic missile development program (the idea that they seriously want the long-range Shahab variants for throwing around a few hundred kilograms of conventional high explosives is militarily questionable, at best). I suspect that Tehran is also interested in nuclear weapons capability, if not necessarily building an actual bomb ASAP. But I really don't think that matters; even if they are seeking a nuclear weapon, I say let them go for it. It certainly would not be wise or appropriate to use military force to retaliate for an NPT violation, especially in light of the consequences such an attack against Iran would have.

Of course the "Mad Mullah" claim is bullshit. Iran in the 1980's had an overall progressive foreign policy, including such non-religious issues as condemning apartheid and being one of the leading international voices for the independence of Namibia. Even the Taliban condemned September 11, which of does not mesh well with the "ALLAHU ACKBAR ALL DAY DEATH 2 WASP AMERIKKKA" claims in the US media.

Iran, as a sovereign country, should have nuclear weapons; same with the DPRK. If unstable countries like Pakistan which are courted by the US are allowed to have nuclear weapons, then I don't see why a country like Iran ruled by University-educated technocrats (and advised by University-educated theologians) with no tradition of military rule is such a horrible affront to the world. Claims that Ahmadinejad called for the "wiping" of Israel off the map were pretty obviously bullshit, and even then you'd hear more radical stuff out of the mouths of working-class Arabs across the Peninsula and especially in Palestine. In this case it's just "serene, civilized Israel" versus the "evil mad-dog goat-fucker Islamist Mujahids."

As for Iran & the US, see: http://theredphoenix.wordpress.com/2...war-with-iran/