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The days of mutual assured
destruction are at an end. Rouge Nations, such as Iran, may be able to
avoid retaliation by simply passing on nuclear technology, or the bomb
itself, to terrorist organizations they have close ties to. If this were
to happen, then using nuclear weapons would not mean assured destruction
for any one country. Unlike a nation, terrorists are not found on world
maps that student’s gaze at in school. A nuclear counter-attack would fail
at achieving much besides civilian deaths. A nation hit by terrorists will
be rendered defenseless, having no sure means of retaliation available.
With the threat of terrorists obtaining a bomb, the ever-growing problem
of Iran’s Uranium enrichment program must be handled with extreme
vigilance.
Of equal concern is that
once Iran has developed a nuclear capability it is highly likely that it
will engage in ever more provocative acts without fear of military action.
In no time in history has a democracy engaged in open war with a nuclear
empowered nation. Thus, Iran can be expected to openly support terrorist
acts by Hezbollah against Lebanese democrats, the U.S. and Israel; support
various terrorist organizations and provide material support for the Iraqi
insurgency. The time, money, and effort spent by the U.S. in the Middle
East will have gone to waste if Iran or its proxies becomes the dominant
power within the region.
Once a country acquires
nuclear technology, it is unlikely that sanctions will prevent the
development of a nuke. Consequently, ending Iran’s uranium enrichment
program would be most efficiently done if Iran’s nuclear sites were bombed
similar to what Israel did to Iraq; however Iran has learned from Iraq’s
mistakes and has hid, dispersed, or protected its nuclear facilities.
Also, at a time of high gas prices Iran can threaten to cut off oil. This
leaves diplomacy as the best option. Since Iran claims that it only wants
nuclear technology as a means of alternative energy for its growing
infrastructure, nations should offer incentives such as providing energy.
Nations should also threaten to halt trade with Iran if it continues to
develop nukes. The most effective way for threats and promises to work is
not from weak U.N. resolutions that are ignored by Iran, but from
independent multilateral talks.
China and Russia both have
strong trading ties with Iran. These countries have traded weapons and
nuclear technology with Iran. These countries have also rejected the idea
of sanctions against Iran, even after Iran ignored yet another U.N.
resolution which stated that they must end their enrichment or face
consequences. Currently, with China and Russia as political and trading
partners of Iran, the rest of the world is lacking the leverage to
convince Iran to give up its nuclear program. China and Russia must be
persuaded to reverse their stance to create a united front against Iran,
and achieve a peaceful solution. Our massive trade with China can be used
as leverage, as can the industrialized worlds with Russia, both of whom
need such countries to support their own economies.
We must act now, and act
peacefully, to prevent the world from deteriorating into an even more
frightening nuclear situation.
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