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Taking Iran Seriously

[Wall Street Journal] Daniel R. Coats, Charles S. Robb, and Charles Wald - Last year, a high-level Bipartisan Policy Center task force in which we participated concluded that a nuclear weapons-capable Iran would be "strategically untenable." Not only has Iran continued its nuclear program unabated, but its regime has emerged from post-election turmoil more radical than ever. A nuclear-armed Iran would not only pose a security threat to the U.S. and its allies. It would embolden Iranian-sponsored terrorist groups, destabilize the region, upset global energy markets, and spark a wave of proliferation across the Middle East. We understand the reluctance of Americans to consider confronting the Iranian nuclear threat, given their weariness from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and continued economic hardships. But after eight months of diplomatic overtures, numerous rebuffs and a brutal crackdown on its own people, Tehran's willingness to negotiate in good faith is subject to considerable doubt. We believe it is now time to devise a new strategy. Mr. Coats, a former Republican senator from Indiana, Mr. Robb, a former Democratic senator from Virginia, and Mr. Wald, a retired general and air commander in Operation Enduring Freedom, are authors of a new Bipartisan Policy Center report on Iran, "Meeting the Challenge: Time Is Running Out."
2009-09-10 08:00:00
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