Posted on 09/22/2008 7:57:05 AM PDT by nuconvert
Everyone Needs to Worry About Iran
By RICHARD HOLBROOKE, R. JAMES WOOLSEY, DENNIS B. ROSS and MARK D. WALLACE
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits the United Nations in New York this week. Don't expect an honest update from him on his country's nuclear program. Iran is now edging closer to being armed with nuclear weapons, and it continues to develop a ballistic-missile capability.
Such developments may be overshadowed by our presidential election, but the challenge Iran poses is very real and not a partisan matter. We may have different political allegiances and worldviews, yet we share a common concern -- Iran's drive to be a nuclear state. We believe that Iran's desire for nuclear weapons is one of the most urgent issues facing America today, because even the most conservative estimates tell us that they could have nuclear weapons soon.
A nuclear-armed Iran would likely destabilize an already dangerous region that includes Israel, Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, and pose a direct threat to America's national security. For this reason, Iran's nuclear ambitions demand a response that will compel Iran's leaders to change their behavior and come to understand that they have more to lose than to gain by going nuclear.
(Excerpt) Read more at s.wsj.net ...
“Everyone needs to worry...”???
Worrying is POINTLESS. Worrying is what you do when you’re
doing nothing.
If these fools haven’t got past the “worrying” stage yet, they’re worse than useless, they’re dangerous.
One day we will all read the headline: “UN Worried Iran Will
Now Use New Nukes”
Decent description of the problem, but I read it twice and do not see anything close to a suggestion as to what to do about it.
“I read it twice and do not see anything close to a suggestion as to what to do about it.”
You need to re-read the headline:
It’s time to “start worrying”.
Let’s declare Sept. 29th “Start Worrying Day”
I have to ask if we are all ready for Israel to launch a nuclear attack on Iran? We have left the Israeli’s little choice in the matter as we have refused to sell them equipment that could otherwise disable the attempt by the Persians to acquire a nuclear weapon. Currently Russia has agreed to supply Iran with weapons systems that should in a rational world negate any complaints from the Arab world of US weapons sales to Israel. Unfortunately we do not live in such a world, therefore we leave Israel with the choice of doing nothing or defending themselves with the only means left to them that would at least give them a chance at survival, nuclear attack.
“I read it twice and do not see anything close to a suggestion as to what to do about it.”
“As part of the United Against Nuclear Iran effort, we will announce various programs in the months ahead that we hope will be rallying points for the American and international public to voice unified opposition to a nuclear Iran.
We do not aim to beat the drums of war. On the contrary, we hope to lay the groundwork for effective U.S. policies in coordination with our allies, the U.N. and others by a strong showing of unified support from the American people to alter the Iranian regime’s current course.”
Not much there there yet.
Actually, it's almost exactly the same "not there" that was presented in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. And there's more motivation for a world-wide intervention over Iran.
Consider: the Russians made a lot of mistakes when they got aggressive with Georgia, including one really big one: it reminded Europe of the extent to which their energy supplies are at the mercy of aggressive regimes. Energy supplies provide a good diplomatic wedge for Russia, but at the same time they're a game-changer for the European world-view.
Europe clearly can't go after Russia head-on -- and thus they must find a way to ensure a steady supply from a source other than the now unreliable Russian-run pipelines.
Which leaves, of course, the Middle East. And Iran is threatening to exercise nuclear hegemony over the Middle East.
And then ... we also have the presence of aggressive Islam within Europe itself. Any significant moves against Iran will force them to address the Islamic issues in their own country.
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