Posted by
mgraves on Friday, October 26, 2007 7:37:07 PM
Continued.
Shall we discuss whether or not a nuclear Iran would be in the national interest?
Where to begin?
With Iranian nuclear blackmail?
Or perhaps with Iranian hegemony over a region supplying a vast amount of a natural resource necessary to America’s economy?
Perhaps the fact that the Islamic Republic was founded on an act of terrorism against the U.S. and continues its support, sponsorship, subsidization of terrorism to the present day?
Perhaps the Iran-Syria-Venezuela-North Korea-Russia-PRC-etc axis ought to be hindered?
I’m not calling for an invasion of Iran (not at the moment at any rate). I’m merely pointing out that America’s national interest is not served by permitting a nuclear Iran, as Iran is presently governed. Permitting a nuclear Iran will diminish the U.S. and engorge the power and prestige of a terrorist state.
We’re all familiar with fair-weather fans: those miserable creatures that will follow whatever team is leading the pack. The same thing happens in terms of nations. To permit an Iranian victory will not only place American allies in danger, but also place American and American allies at heightened risk of terrorist attack. Permitting an Iranian victory will virtually guarantee the capitulation of the Emirates, while encouraging further Saudi support for terrorism. Iraq will be under siege from Iran and Syria—its likelihood of collapse is increased exponentially in light of an Iranian bomb and the Iranian hegemony likely to follow.
To permit a nuclear Iran is to permit the collapse of any gains we’ve made over the last six years—in Lebanon, Lybia, Tunisia, Morocco, the Emirates—a weakening of American position in the world at the very time when the U.S. needs to be vigorous, and the growth of an anti-capitalist, illiberal axis of powers stretching from Latin America to the Korean peninsula.