(American Interest) Walter Russell Mead - It should be obvious by now to all reasonable observers that Iran is an unstable regime shot through with dangerous anti-Semitic impulses, apocalyptic fantasy and convoluted conspiracy thinking that has no business anywhere near nuclear weapons. Jew-hatred is an irrational passion that overmasters common sense and destroys the ability to perceive one's own best interests. Enough Israelis have enough historical memory of the irrationality that Jew-hatred brings in its wake that it's unrealistic to expect Israel to accept an Iranian bomb no matter how rational the experts say the mullahs really are. It's important to remember that Israel didn't start the clandestine war between the two countries. Way back in 1994, Iran was implicated in the bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires which killed 85 people and wounded scores more. It was an act of unprovoked overseas terrorism for which Interpol has charged five Iranian officials - including current Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi. The U.S. must stop any Iranian bomb drive because the effort to contain a nuclear Iran will make everything in the Middle East even worse than it is.
2012-06-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive