The Radioactive Republic of Iran (Diplomacy will not stop the mullahs from going nuclear)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | January 16, 2006 | MICHAEL RUBIN

[presidio9]

On Friday, George Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stood together in the White House to condemn Iran. "Iran, armed with a nuclear weapon, poses a grave threat to the security of the world," Mr. Bush said. "We will not be intimidated," Ms. Merkel added. The press conference marks a turning point in a decade-long saga. Europe's engagement with Iran has failed. While Iranian diplomats met with their British, French and German counterparts in Vienna and Geneva, Iranian technicians toiled to ready Iran's uranium enrichment capability. European officials discussed a China model for Iran, in which they could use trade to catalyze political liberalization. Between 2000 and 2005, EU trade with the Islamic Republic almost tripled. But rather than moderate, Iranian authorities used the hard currency to enhance their military. They built secret nuclear facilities and blocked inspections. They failed to explain why there were traces of weapons-grade uranium on Iranian centrifuges, and refused to detail what assistance Tehran received from Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan. On Sept. 24, 2005, the International Atomic Energy Agency declared Iran to be in non-compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty's Safeguards Agreement.

Still, diplomats and doves hold out hope. After a Jan. 12 phone conversation with Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Kofi Annan assured reporters that Tehran was interested in "serious and constructive negotiations." As Mr. Bush met Ms. Merkel, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the BBC that military action was "not on the agenda" and insisted that the crisis "can only be resolved by peaceful means." But while Mr. Bush and his European allies may agree to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council, traditional diplomacy will not work for a simple reason: Iran's quest for nuclear weapons has nothing to do with the U.S. or Europe. The crisis

[Khashayar]

help free Iran

[M. Espinola]

Israel will have the full support of the U.S. Air Force.

[carl in alaska]

Your link needs a login ID and password.

[presidio9]

WSJ.com is one of the few non-porn subscription sites that makes money. I mailed you the article.

[carl in alaska]

Thnx; yes I heard the WSJ makes a ton of money in print and on the web.

[familyop]

So the nations of the world are continuing to try to deceive a country of only 6,000,000 people into taking down Iran's nuclear projects. The media of the world is doing so by telling the lie that Iran only intends to hurt Israel. All the while, every one of our nations are coercing the expulsions of Jewish people from their homes in Israel by implied threats for the purpose of oozing more terrorists onto their lands. It's utterly disgraceful. I'm ashamed again.

[globalheater]

ping

[Proud_USA_Republican]

While they are flying over SA, don't forget to buzz mecca.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

I think that the US will have to do this. Iran has many sites that need to be destroyed. Victor Davis Hanson in a recent article indicated that it may take up to two weeks of bombing by our Navy and Air Force to take all the facilities out (also with some special forces).

[Thermalseeker]

So the nations of the world are continuing to try to deceive a country of only 6,000,000 people into taking down Iran's nuclear projects. The media of the world is doing so by telling the lie that Iran only intends to hurt Israel.

Huh? Israeli intelligence is probably the best intel gatherer in the world. They know better than anybody what Iran is up to. Former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahoo himself has come out publically on dozens of occasions to expose the Iranian threat to Israel, Europe and the west in general. I've repeatedly seen maps showing the current range of Iranian missile technology and the range of missiles they are currently developing which could easily hit Europe. Add to that the frequent reporting of Iran's willingness to support terror organizations like AQ and Hammas. Just in the past month or so the Israeli Defense Minister was asked in a press conference how far Israeli defense forces were willing to go to stop a nuclear Iran. His answer was "2000 Kilometers".

Nobody is trying to "deceive" Israel into doing anything. They know full well what the threat is and so does the rest of the world. I seriously doubt that they will act alone.

What in the world are you talking about?

[familyop]

"What in the world are you talking about?"

Iran's trying to heckle Israel and our US leaders into a hasty move, and western Europe (the countries of which refused to recognized Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations) isn't preparing to do much more than continue to push the incremental "road map."

New Iran missiles can reach London
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1227123/posts

ICM
"ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1,000 [British] adults aged 18+ by telephone on 20-21st April, 2002. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults.
. . .
"Q3. In the dispute in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians, from what you have seen and heard about the conflict which of the two do you sympathise with more, Israel or the Palestinians?"

Israel           14%
Palestine      28%
Both            14%
Neither         23%
Don't know   20%
"

Sentiment has been like that since at least the 1940s (see British Mandate period, UN Resolution 242,...).

If Israel concentrates on its anti-ballistic missile defense and other defenses, Iran will turn on Europe with tens of thousands of homicide bombers. That's why the media are wanting to see a fight soon between bully Iran (~ 68 million people with quite a few armed divisions) and Israel (~ 6 million people with a small army).

As during the schoolyard days that we can all remember, the rest of the big chickens want to keep the focus on the bully and the one other person they like the least.

BTW, our 2004 Platform speaks of moving our Israel Embassy to the Capital--Jerusalem. When's that supposed to happen, or was it just bait for the "road map?"