
03-18-2005, 07:36 PM
I think what this whole thread comes down two is a couple of simple questions and then it should be very clear cut which side you come down on.
1) Do you believe that Iran's pursuit of nuclear capability is purely for non-military reasons?
2) Do you believe that the United Nations is still a relevant body?
If you believe that Iran's intentions for atomic energy are purely for peaceful uses, then by all means build away. Many nations (most of which are European) remain skeptical.
If you believe that their intention is to produce nuclear weapons then the UN has the right to impose sanctions and perhaps build a coalition to see that this doesn't happen.
There exists this little thing called the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty whereby ratifying members agree not to continue to produce or seek to obtain the means to produce nuclear weapons among other things. The US is one of the ratifying nations and not only does the US not continue to produce weapons, but there was a point in which we were disarming at a pretty good clip.
It was the International Atomic Energy Agency that brought to light the breaches of this treaty by the Iranians, not the US government. That means the International Atomic Energy Agency is of the opinion that Iran's intentions are not as they claim.
So the question in my mind is what do you do about it? I don't know. My sense is that the UN doesn't know either. Their experts have concluded, in their professional opinion's, that Iran seeks nuclear weapons despite having signed the NPT.
We'll see what happens. I certainly hope for a diplomatic resolution. Although I would lose no sleep over Israel destroying nuclear plants. Most of you equal opportunity, let everyone have nukes, kids are too young to remember the Iranian revolution when the Ayatollah Khomeini incited Iranians into over-running the American embassy in Tehran and holding close to 80 hostages for about a year and half. I, on the other hand, remember it plainly even though I was very young. Maybe that was because a good friend of my dad's was one of the hostages.
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