Posted on 09/20/2004 2:42:57 AM PDT by F14 Pilot
When the cat's away, the mice will play. In this case, the cat is America and the mice are two members of George W Bush's "axis of evil", Iran and North Korea.
While not exactly absent, the cat is distracted by the third member of the axis, Iraq, and its own presidential election on November 2. In the breathing-space before that poll, the mice are proving ever more defiant over their long-term ambitions to become nuclear-armed powers.
The lack of progress within the six-nation forum discussing North Korea and the heightened confrontation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), indicate that the two proliferators are playing for time diplomatically while pushing ahead with weapons development.
Yesterday, Iran rejected an IAEA resolution calling on it to stop activities relating to the enrichment of uranium and threatened to ban random checks by the agency were its case to be referred to the UN Security Council. Teheran said that if the council decided on sanctions it might follow North Korea and withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The clerically dominated regime has long deceived the IAEA over its nuclear activities.
Now it is daring the UN, and in particular, its most powerful member, the United States, to do its worst.
Nothing much is likely to happen until after the American election. The agency's board of governors next meets on November 25, when it may refer the matter to the Security Council, though Washington failed to get a "trigger" clause for such a move inserted into Saturday's resolution. At that stage, the way forward will obviously depend on whether Mr Bush or John Kerry has won the presidential election.
Whoever prevails, America will be faced with a would-be nuclear Iran which supports terrorism, denies Israel's right to exist and, in the words of its extremists, would like to destroy the liberal democracies.
Such a power has to be contained, by negotiation, military intervention or the fomenting of an internal uprising. Despite the rhetoric, there could be an opening for the first. The second, given the dispersal of Iran's nuclear activities, might only be partially successful. The third runs the risks of savage reprisals by the conservatives.
Whatever the result on November 2, Iran will be high on the next Administration's agenda. Both there and in North Korea, determined and wily mice have placed the cat in an unenviable dilemma.
ping
"Whatever the result on November 2, Iran will be high on the next Administration's agenda. Both there and in North Korea, determined and wily mice have placed the cat in an unenviable dilemma"
The cat is in an unenviable dilemma? Drugs must have been involved in the writing of this article. Two punk nations, NK and Korea, irritating a country that could turn them into parking lots in 5 minutes. Yup, they've got us just where they want us.
Where's the UN and the EU?
As usual, nowhere to be found.
They wait until we are forced to actually do something about the problem and then complain that we act unilaterally.
Can someone explain to me why I shouldn't hate these people (short of going biblical)?
Whatever the result of November 2nd? The last time we had a Democratic president it cost us a failing economy, our enemies' excellerated nuclear weapons technology advancement and over 3,000 dead. I predict if November 2nd gives us our next Democratic President we will pay by losing a major American city, if not cities.
Let's see.
Iran's new missles can hit Rome and Paris, but won't hit the USA.
North Korea's missles can hit Japan and Peking, and just might hit Anchorage, but we are placing anti missle sites there.
Maybe while the cat is getting one mouse, the weasles could get off their donkey and get to work...
Freedom now ~ bump!
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