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A Wakeup Call on Iran's Nukes

[New York Daily News] John Bolton - Britain, France and Germany ("the EU-3") have been negotiating with Iran for over five years, and yet Iran has shown no inclination to terminate its nuclear program. The net effect of five years of EU-3 negotiation is that Iran is five years closer to achieving a deliverable nuclear weapon. Europe still does not fully appreciate the risks of a nuclear-armed Iran, nor is it willing to take the steps necessary to prevent it. Europe's lack of real concern stems in part from the mindset that it has passed beyond history, and entered a zone of security that will persist as long as outsiders are not "provoked." The Security Council will not solve the Iran problem. Russia, and to a lesser extent China, have made it clear that they will block meaningful sanctions in the Council. Russia has an enormous interest in protecting Iran from meaningful Security Council sanctions. Moscow hopes to sell nuclear fuel, and construct many nuclear power plants in addition to the one nearly complete at Bushehr, and sees Iran as a substantial market for high-end conventional weapons sales. Similarly, China's large and growing demands for energy make Iran an attractive partner for assured supplies of oil and natural gas, as well as a potential market. On Jan. 20, the new U.S. president will face very unattractive choices if he is serious about disarming this outlaw regime. One is regime change in Tehran, through support of the widespread discontent across Iran with the mullahs. The other is the targeted use of force against Iran's nuclear program. Unfortunately, the only other alternative - Iran with nuclear weapons - is far worse. The writer, former U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
2008-09-26 01:00:00
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