11:44AM
WPR's The New Rules: How to Stop Worrying and Live with the Iranian Bomb
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 11:44AM
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report on Iran’s nuclear programsurprised no one, even as it created the usual flurry of op-eds championing preventative “next steps.” As I’ve been saying for the past half-decade, there are none. Once the U.S. went into both Iraq and Afghanistan, the question went from being, “How do we prevent Iran from getting the Bomb?” to “How do we handle Iran’s Bomb?” That shift represents neither defeatism nor appeasement. Rather, it reflects a realistic analysis of America’s strategic options. With that in mind, here are 20 reasons why Iran’s successful pursuit of the Bomb is not the system-changing event so many analysts are keen to portray.
Read the entire column at World Politics Review.
tagged Arab Spring, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Turkey, US, nuclear weapons | in WPR Column | Email Article | Permalink | Print Article
Arab Spring, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Turkey, US, nuclear weapons | in WPR Column | Email Article | Permalink | Print Article 
Reader Comments (2)
One thing that separates Iran is that it hasn't pulled out of the NPT. India, Pakistan, and Israel never signed it, and the North Koreans at least had the honesty to withdraw. The Iranians will make the treaty worthless, a treaty that has held up pretty well and shouldn't be so recklessly thrown to the wind.
Perhaps a proper response to that violation would be to fund opposition groups and unions, set up the radio stations, make sure Facebook stays open, etc. Because what is the downside to that? Neither side wants to start a direct confrontation, and it's not like they're not trying to make our life hell in Afghanistan already. Gets something done that we want, and perhaps sends a message that you violate the treaty, and your legitimacy gets called into question.
I hereby want to apologize by Thomas Barnett. After his Kronos "Al Kaida-Quds"-report and Daniel Pipes at Wikistrat, I thought: That´s just neocon propaganda for a new war against Iran with the same construction like Iraq: Al Kaida-WMD-terrorism. This new article makes clear that this is not Barnett´s intention. I rarely have read such a brilliant analysis about Iran´s nuclear weapons and what its implications could be.I already distributed this artcile in Gemran blogs and there was a broad feedback.Barnett´s article is a good answer to the reprot of the Council of Foerign Relations which perceives a nuclear Iran as not detterrable. Barnett´s article is the perfect analysis to confront such ideologies.