Two days later,the world finally reacts!
KUHNER: Consequences
of a nuclear Iran
By Jeffrey T. Kuhner The
Washington Times
According to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
it’s official: Iran has become a nuclear power. The respected Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Persian strongman this week at an Islamic
conference in Cairo told an Egyptian daily Iran is a “nuclear country.” If true — and I stress
if — then this is the most important geopolitical development of our time. It
means World War III has become a very real possibility.
Mr. Ahmadinejad warned the West in a long interview published in Al-Ahram that Iran’s nuclear program was too advanced, and
could no longer be rolled back. “They want Iran to go back to what it was in the past, but they
won’t succeed,” he said. “They assume we’ll give in to pressure; such thoughts
are misguided.”
The Iranian tyrant may
be bluffing. Fearing possible U.S. or Israeli military strikes, Tehran’s
mullahs could be wagering that pretending to be a nuclear state will prevent a
crippling attack. If so, Mr. Ahmadinejad is playing with fire — literally. Instead, his
inflammatory comments could spark Israel to launch a massive bombing campaign.
Mr. Ahmadinejad is a virulent anti-Semite and Shiite
revolutionary. He has called for the Jewish state to be “wiped off the the face
of the earth.” He denies the Holocaust took place. He claims there is a Jewish
world conspiracy, whereby “Zionists” and their “allies” run the international
economy. He also fervently preaches that his mission is to aid the coming of
the “Twelfth Imam” — the Shiite version of the Messiah — to Earth, ushering in
Armageddon. Mr. Ahmadinejad believes this will erect a world Muslim empire.
He is not only an Islamic fascist. He is a fanatical religious zealot bent upon
changing the course of history. For him to say that Iran now possesses the technology and capacity to be a nuclear power is
something the world should take very seriously.
What if Mr. Ahmadinejad is not lying? Then the West — and especially the
United States — faces a major crisis. It means the West’s policies of sanctions
and diplomatic engagement have failed. It means the Persian despot has
outmaneuvered President Obama and the United Nations.
Moreover, Mr. Obama has vowed Iran will not be allowed to acquire the bomb. Should he back away from
his promise, American credibility will be shattered. Our allies will never
trust us again. If Mr. Obama makes good on his pledge, then there is only one
option left: a military campaign to smash Iran’s nuclear
facilities.
An attack would trigger
disastrous consequences. Iran is not Iraq. It is a much larger and more populous nation. It has
proxies across the region — including Hezbollah, Hamas and Syria’s besieged
regime. A U.S. military strike would likely spark a regional war, dragging in Israel and other Arab nations. The Iranian navy would mine the Strait of
Hormuz, choking off a large percentage of the world’s oil supply. Prices would
skyrocket to $200 or even $300 for a barrel of oil. This would send shock waves
throughout the global economy, throwing most industrial countries — especially
the United States — into a depression. Mr. Obama’s anti-war liberal base would
revolt. The Democratic Party would be torn asunder. A war-weary America may not
have the stomach for a protracted campaign.
Hence, Iran going nuclear paves the way for possible World War III. For all of
his pathology, however, Mr. Ahmadinejad is not Adolf Hitler. The
Islamic Republic is not Nazi Germany. Hitler oversaw the most powerful military and economic
state in Europe. He was adored and supported not just by tens of millions of
Germans, but countless other quislings who shared his vision of an Aryan master
race. His formidable armies nearly conquered Europe. In contrast, Iran is a Third World basket case. Its economy is in shambles. Its
military — although large — is plagued with internal divisions and poor
equipment. Most importantly, Tehran’s mullahs are despised by an overwhelming
majority of Iranians. Rather than being loved, Mr. Ahmadinejad is hated by his own people. The theocratic
regime is weak and crumbling.
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This begs the question:
Why did Mr. Obama and the West not support Iran’s green
revolution in 2009, when hundreds of thousands of anti-regime protesters poured
onto the streets demanding that the mullahs step down? Instead, Mr. Obama
turned a blind eye, publicly telling Tehran that Washington will not meddle in Iran’s internal affairs. President Ronald
Reagan used Poland’s Solidarity protest movement to help bring down the Soviet
empire — and without a shot being fired. Mr. Obama could have followed a
similar model. He didn’t. Now the world may have to suffer the tragic
consequences of his naive and reckless policies.
Jeffrey
T. Kuhner is a radio commentator in Boston.
