(New York Daily News) Editorial - The governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency next month are to discuss nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, the target perversely being Israel, the one country in the region whose atomic threat is zero. For almost half a century, the U.S. has backed Israel in cloaking its nuclear capabilities in doubt. This strategic ambiguity has enhanced regional stability in that would-be invaders need worry about risking a strike by launching all-out war. President Obama must apply U.S. muscle to push the IAEA into removing scrutiny of "Israeli nuclear capabilities" from its upcoming agenda. And he must extricate America from an attempt to enforce a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Mideast. Halting the spread of nukes is an admirable goal, as is harnessing all the nations of the world into forswearing the possession and use of weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, in the here and now, the facts of life, death and global power-playing demand clear-eyed pragmatism. That means coming to a newfound recognition that cutting Israel down to a size preferred by its enemies is not the path to peace. And it will not lead Iran to abandon a defiant march toward nuclear missiles. No one in the Mideast - or anywhere else - is remotely concerned about a nuke strike or nuclear bullying by Israel. The same cannot be said about Iran, whose neighbors live in fear of that country's intentions.
2010-05-25 09:28:32Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive