2008 Woodie Awards
Uranium in Iran: Threat to U.S.
Matthew Duncan '07
Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: Opinion
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Of the foreign policy challenges facing the United States today, Iran's questionable uranium-enrichment program has become a clear threat to America. The situation is an example of how the leader of a rogue nation can create an international security dilemma. Should an Iranian bomb be developed, it would have dangerous policy implications for the U.S.
In the case of the crisis in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's behavior may be responsible. Though it had been the goal of Iran to enrich uranium in the late 1990s, the moderate government of President Khatami thought it prudent to back off enrichment in 2002, a result of diplomatic pressure from France, Germany, and Great Britain. The program began again in 2005 when Ahmadinejad came to power as a populist willing to stand up to the U.S. and the West. His refusal to halt the nuclear program, inflammatory rhetoric calling for the destruction of Israel, and his willingness to antagonize the West with other anti-Western leaders like Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, has made him a threat to the West. While recent protests and statements by prominent clerics demonstrate that not every Iranian supports Ahmadinejad, the real question is whether Grand Ayatollah Khamenei endorses his positions. As Supreme Leader of Iran, Khamenei controls the military and intelligence services; no government may exist without his blessing. Publicly, the Ayatollah has issued a fatwa claiming that nuclear weapons go against the teachings of Islam, but the actions of Ahmadinejad suggest otherwise. Ahmadinejad's presence may explain not only the cause of this crisis, but also may present a solution to the crisis by giving cause for his removal.
The security dilemma is another aspect of this challenge. A nuclear Iran is a threat because of the potential for a regional arms race and the proliferation of nuclear technology to terrorists. The presence of the Shahab-3 missile, a variation on the North Korean Taepodong-2 ICBM, makes an attack on Israel, Europe, and moderate Sunni-dominated Arab states (Iran is Shiite) a definite possibility. Any such race would threaten not only the balance of power in the region, but also would create a danger to U.S. energy security.
In the case of the crisis in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's behavior may be responsible. Though it had been the goal of Iran to enrich uranium in the late 1990s, the moderate government of President Khatami thought it prudent to back off enrichment in 2002, a result of diplomatic pressure from France, Germany, and Great Britain. The program began again in 2005 when Ahmadinejad came to power as a populist willing to stand up to the U.S. and the West. His refusal to halt the nuclear program, inflammatory rhetoric calling for the destruction of Israel, and his willingness to antagonize the West with other anti-Western leaders like Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, has made him a threat to the West. While recent protests and statements by prominent clerics demonstrate that not every Iranian supports Ahmadinejad, the real question is whether Grand Ayatollah Khamenei endorses his positions. As Supreme Leader of Iran, Khamenei controls the military and intelligence services; no government may exist without his blessing. Publicly, the Ayatollah has issued a fatwa claiming that nuclear weapons go against the teachings of Islam, but the actions of Ahmadinejad suggest otherwise. Ahmadinejad's presence may explain not only the cause of this crisis, but also may present a solution to the crisis by giving cause for his removal.
The security dilemma is another aspect of this challenge. A nuclear Iran is a threat because of the potential for a regional arms race and the proliferation of nuclear technology to terrorists. The presence of the Shahab-3 missile, a variation on the North Korean Taepodong-2 ICBM, makes an attack on Israel, Europe, and moderate Sunni-dominated Arab states (Iran is Shiite) a definite possibility. Any such race would threaten not only the balance of power in the region, but also would create a danger to U.S. energy security.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Kent
posted 1/31/07 @ 9:02 AM EST
Hello
I come from Sweden and people don?t understand the danger of nuclear armed Iran.
They are as you wrote in the article, the single most sponsor of terrorist. (Continued…)
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