Last
week’s announcement of the discovery of a previously unknown but
suspected nuclear research and production site became a major story
in the Western media. The Obama administration, along with its
allies in Europe, saw this as evidence of Iranian duplicity on the
matter of its nuclear intentions. Though Iran admitted the existence
of this facility, the manner in which it did so seemed to be directed
at heading off the expose' from other sources.
The
outrage that was expressed concerning Iran’s revelation is, at best,
overstated. While no one has been able to prove that Iran’s nuclear
program is anything other than what it has claimed that it is—peaceful—the
assertion from most of the mainstream Western press is that it is
military in intent. This, by the way, despite the 2007 intelligence
report indicating that Iran dropped its military nuclear program
some years ago.
The
outrage against Iran is also hypocritical. While the focus of the
mainstream Western media has been on Iran’s alleged intent toward
a weaponized program, in another part of the Middle, East Israel
appears to possess somewhere between 100-200 nuclear weapons. No
one is actually quite sure precisely because (1)Israel is not a
signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and (2)Israel
refuses to confirm or deny its nuclear program.
So,
as pointed out by many observers, the real nuclear issue in the
Middle East is not Iran’s nuclear intent but none other than Israel’s
actual possession of such weaponry. Israel not only possesses such
weapons but also possesses delivery systems for these weapons.
Yet, mainstream political and media personnel in the West refuse
to discuss this. In a noted exchange between iconic White House
reporter Helen Thomas and the then newly elected President Obama,
the President refused to answer Thomas’s questions regarding Israel’s
nuclear program. He did a dance around the question that would
have made Fred Astaire proud.
Idiotic
and anti-Jewish remarks by Iranian President Ahmedinejad have been
seized upon in order to focus the world’s attention on Iran’s nuclear
intent. The fact that President Ahmedinejad often seems out of
touch with reality and is cavalier in his concerns and remarks is
disquieting. Yet none of that speaks to the actual power structure
in Iran and what Iran intends to do with its nuclear program. While
Israel used its nuclear program to support apartheid South Africa,
nothing of the sort can be placed at the doorstep of Iran. Iran
occupies no one’s territories, while Israel occupies Palestinian
territories. While Iran has been very cagey with the International
Atomic Energy Agency, Israel has completely ignored any and all
international inquiries into its nuclear intent.
Once
again Israel is excused by mainstream Western opinion for what it
does because it is all justified in the name of protecting Israel,
and by implication, Jews who were the victims of the Holocaust.
While Iran’s Ahmedinejad may attempt to deny or explain away the
Holocaust, most sane individuals on this planet not only acknowledge
it but have seen it as an indictment of Western so-called civilization
and Western barbarism previously directed at the colonial world
brought home to Europe.
Yet
the Holocaust does not justify the possession of nuclear weapons
any more than the fact that US overthrew one Iranian government
(Mossadegh in 1953); supported a criminal dictatorship (the Shah);
and attempted to overthrow the newly formed Islamic Republic through
support for Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980, would
justify an Iranian nuclear program today. Yes, the Iranians have
every reason to be suspicious of US intent toward their country
and their region. They additionally have every right to seek respect
from Western nations, particularly after a history of abuse experienced
at the hands of Western countries.
The
focus on Iranian nuclear intent, however, seems completely over
the top in terms of scale and possibilities. A real and scary nuclear
standoff exists between India and Pakistan yet there is anything
but an aggressive approach towards this situation by the USA. India,
which, along with Israel, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, has had a blind-eye turned toward it as its nuclear program
went forward as did, by the way, Pakistan. In fact, with regard
to Pakistan the main concern has been not whether Pakistan will
use nuclear weapons against India but rather whether the Pakistani
security system can adequately protect the weapons from capture
by terrorists. In neither case does the West seem particularly
concerned that both of these countries have the capability to turn
their respective capitols into glowing mounds of sand.
Iran,
on the other hand, knows fully well that any attempt to use nuclear
weapons against its neighbors, not to mention against Israel, would
result in an immediate retaliation. There would be no percentage
in such a game, not to mention that Iran lacks a full delivery system
that could get its weapons across US-dominated Iraq, US puppet Jordan
and into Israel.
Each
time the focus turns to Iran and its alleged intent I become nervous,
largely because the specter of an Israeli or US military strike
seems a possibility. There are those in both of those countries
who believe that a quick air strike can teach Iran a lesson. It
probably would; perhaps a lesson like how to shut off oil from ever
leaving the Persian/Arabian Gulf. I suppose that would equally
be a lesson for us in the West.
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October
1 , 2009
Issue 344
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Executive Editor:
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