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October 11, 2006
Iran's Watching Feckless UN Response
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Iran's nuclear program in the wake of the North Korean test said "the Iranian nation will continue its path of dignity based on resistance, wisdom and without fear." Why should Iran have any fear? Certainly nothing in response to North Korea could impose even the slightest bit of restraint from any other nation.
And that's really the core of the problem. The North Korean nuclear program is worrisome only in the sense that North Korea is known to sell just about anything, but there's still this belief North Korea is restrained from using nuclear weapons based upon the fear of mutually assured destruction (MAD). Iran's religious leadership who run under the apocalyptic-desiring Ahmadinejad aided by the Mullahcracy doesn't have fear of MAD. We aren't doing the world any favors by bickering over what to do with North Korea, and Iran is clearly watching from afar and enjoying the feckless spectacle.
The international community is disjointed in how to act upon Iran's nuclear program, a program Iran insists is completely transparent and only for peaceful purposes. The IAEA seems to disagree at least with that first notion. The UNSC should take Ahmadinejad's own words towards Iranians and apply those words to their own position: "Great victories await Iran provided unity between the people and institutions is strengthened."
But we know the Iranian populace is not united and its institutions are not strengthened. Question: Is the UNSC united and is the UNSC as an institution strengthened? Sadly, no on both accounts.
Ahmadinejad knows full well "threats will not cause" Iran to change its mind, because he knows there are no real threats. Iran may fear a U.S. attack noting the U.S.S. Eisenhower, an aircraft carrier, is steaming towards the Persian Gulf, but that's not fear that will curb Iran's nuclear and apocalyptic desires.
The world is at a crossroads today that is similar to times in years past, but I won't make any comparisons because even though history does repeat itself no comparison is especially accurate. When Iran's government is moving towards banning Coca-Cola and Pepsi* from Iranian markets, saying "Iran rejects every form of collaboration with firms that give any kind of backing to the Zionist regime that occupies Palestine," rather than trying to find an end to this international crisis we know they aren't serious about doing anything other than what Ahmadinejad has said himself.
"[Countries opposed to Iran's nuclear program] know that the Iranian people - because of its past culture, its past civilization, its intelligent youth, its human and material potential - has the capacity to quickly become an invincible global power. This will happen as soon as it achieves advanced technologies."
Peaceful nuclear energy that several nations already have does not make a nation an advanced technological nation. Nor, for that matter, does a nuclear armed nation. Invincible? No, but in Iran's eyes yes. We would be wise to listen to the words of Ahmadinejad that he utters within his own nation, not those he constructs for the rest of the world using the Iranian propoganda machine.
*I had no idea Coca-Cola and Pepsi were Israeli companies.
UPDATE: Classic Ahmadinejad: "The day sanctions are imposed on Iran by its enemies, would be a day of national celebration for the Iranian nation."
Posted by Chad at October 11, 2006 3:45 PM
