[Washington Times] Uzi Rubin - Striving for exactitude, the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate unfortunately sacrificed lucidity. The key judgment of the NIE, that Tehran halted its nuclear weapon program in 2003, is plausible. Ever since assuming power in 1978, the rulers of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been ever willing to make the necessary tactical concession to walk around minefields. If the bomb-making part must be deferred to safeguard the more profound fissile material effort, so be it. Any threat comes from a combination of capabilities and intentions. The Islamic republic's intentions are breathtaking in their scope. Holocaust denial? This is just a frill. Wipe Israel off the map? A detail. The Iranians are committed to no less than a fundamental change in the existing world order. In his May 2006 letter to President Bush, Iranian President Ahmadinejad wrote: "Those with insight can already hear the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic system." This is not about Israel, or the Palestinians, or the Middle East. This is a declaration of war on everything that we in the West hold dear.
2008-01-08 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive