Say no to nukes
A nuclear Iran would
become an absolute totalitarian state
By Hedayat Naderi
October 7, 2003
The Iranian
No other country has done more harm to the
non-proliferation struggle than the good ole' US of A.
And no other administration has been more
irresponsible than the current regime when it comes to
discouraging developing nations from acquiring weapons
of mass destruction.
The dim-witted bunch in
Washington D.C. in whose hands the security and safety
of the world lie, crafted this silly Neanderthal
doctrine of pre-emptive war in order to bring "peace"
to the world. What were these guys thinking?
As a result of their shortsightedness, the so-called
neo-cons have caused the fanatical regime in Iran to
speed up its dangerous nuclear program. Let us all
hope and pray that the mullahs don't achieve their
goal.
Any two-year old can predict the future when such
foolishness takes place. Here's how it goes: America,
led by a cowboy decides to exterminate its "enemies"
before they get a chance to attack it first. Alarmed
by this new strategy, every tyrannical regime that
sees itself as a potential target urgently attempts to
acquire nuclear weapons, simply because such power has
proven to be effective against foreign aggression. It
doesn't take a genius to figure this one out.
Our own Iran led by the most dangerous bunch of
murderous dictators is a perfect example of a country
that has found itself in such a predicament. The
mullahs have been working on a nuclear program since
the mid-80s. The categorization of Iran as a member of
the "axis-of-evil" and the subsequent destruction of
the Hussein regime in Iraq prompted the mullahs to
speed up their nuclear program.
Furthermore, four
years of domestic unrest has put the theocracy between
a rock and a hard place. They only way for them to
survive is to become even more brutal and the only way
they can do that is to gain respect from their
enemies.
I don't believe that the mullahs have the intestinal
fortitude to use such weapons against any other
country including Israel. They realize that such
action would be nothing short of lunacy. They know
that neither Israel nor the U.S. would hold back if
this were to happen. They would turn Iran into a
radioactive wasteland in a matter of hours.
But the tyrants in Iran will use their new found
nuclear shield to further oppress their own citizens.
The hesitance of Western nations to engage a nuclear
Iran would strengthen the weight of the Islamic
Republic's iron fist at home. A nuclear Iran would
become an absolute totalitarian state, much more so
than it is today.
I am by no means suggesting that
Iran of today resembles some kind of democracy. No,
indeed it is a dictatorship of the worst kind. But
nuclear weapons will give the mullahs the
self-confidence of an immortal. That is dangerous for
Iranians as well as the rest of the world.
An Iranian nuclear capability would also lead to a
very dangerous nuclear arms race in the region. Saudi
Arabia would certainly begin its own nuclear program
if its neighbor to the north achieves its perilous
goal. This is not good for the region or the rest of
the world.
Despite their opposition to the Islamic Republic,
many Iranians do not oppose the idea of a nuclear Iran.
They immediately mention the nuclear capabilities of
Israel and Pakistan. They base their argument on the
basis of the uneven standard that the West uses in
dealing with different countries. But, one must not
think so narrow-mindedly. The solution is not a
nuclear Iran, but rather a serious program of global
non-proliferation. All nations that possess or are
attempting to acquire nuclear weapons must be
discouraged by any means necessary.
So what should the world do about Iran's attempt
to build nuclear weapons? The Americans must not approach
this problem unilaterally; especially not with the
current regime in Washington. A nuclear Iran is a
threat to the entire global community and to the hopes
of non-proliferation. The UN must take the leading
role here and use its diplomatic strength and possibly
its military muscle to stop Iran from acquiring
nuclear weapons.
The EU also has large task at hand
in this crisis. The countries of Europe need to
practice what they preach and put aside their greed
for human rights and nuclear non-proliferation.
Economic pressure from the EU is needed to drive the
mullahs out of power and put an end to their deadly
adventures at home and abroad.
America perhaps plays the largest role in the
hope of a nuclear-free world. Washington must change its
foreign policy if it expects its enemies to stay away
from nuclear weapons. The ?neo-cons? need to drop
their tough-guy attitude. The acquisition of nuclear
weapons is a defensive strategy employed by countries
like Iran.
Iran is currently surrounded by American
forces and naturally feels threatened. The
dictatorship knows that the only way out is to build
nuclear weapons and to build them fast. America must
take a step back and allow the UN to take full control
of this one. It must not allow the Iranian government
the opportunity to play the role of an
anti-imperialist hero.
The UN must act seriously,
swiftly and with great vigor. This has happened to
some extent in the past few weeks. But the process
needs to be accelerated and the UN must keep a
suspicious eye on the Islamic Republic at all times.
Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
The Iranian people will be the first to suffer the
consequences if the global community fails to prevent
such a tragedy.
* Send
this page to your friends
|