Iran elected Vice-Chair of UN Disarmament Commission

[Argus]

Wow, I'd love to live in the world you're living in, unfortunately I'm sober. And unfortunately, I live in a world where "President" Ahmadinejad has stated that Israel should be "wiped off the map", and Iran is a country with massive ties to terrorism, with a culture that sees suicide as a religious path to heaven.

That's an interesting world you live in: too bad it has no connection with the one we hu-mans call "Earth". See, Ahmadinejad can run is mouth all he wants: at the end of the day, the clerics who run the show simply aren't going to let some hillbilly firebrand destroy what they've spent more than 25 years building, no matter what. Ahmadinejad will be sleeping at the bottom of the Straits of Hormuz (metaphorically and/or literally) before he does anything stupid. All of that, of course, assumes that Ahmadinejad actually intends to make good on his threats, which itself is quite a leap. IMV, the rhetoric coming from Tehran is part of a domestic political game.

And if you're wrong? Are you willing to stake your life and the life of your entire family on no fanatics getting hold of nuclear material in Iran - of there being no fanatics among the clergy, none who think they can slip something to terrororists who will set it off anonymously in Tel Aviv?

Of course, you're not betting your life, or your family's life. You're just assuming the Israelis will.

[Slavik44]

Totaly agreed BD. My neighbours to the south have most of the worlds nuclear arms.

actually I belive russia has 16,000 nuclear war heads and the U.S only 10,000, they both have just under 6,000 active warheads and well over 1,000 active warheads float around the world in the possesion of other countries.

Should I be worried about Iran or North Korea? Not really.

I suppose I must ask in what sense? If I learned there was an active serial killer in my nieghborhood should I be worried. Even though the chances of him killing me are small, in fact incredibly small, in fact non-existant almost. It would be niave not to atleast think that there may be a problem.

The US is the only country that has used nuclear type weapons against another country.

Yes, and considering the times and the knowledge available in 1945, If I was president during that time I most likely would have done the same. It may be easier to judge in 2005 but it wasn;t 2005 it was 1945. If you are going to judge actions in 1945, recognize first that it was 1945.

The US is the only country (that I know of) to use small tactical nukes (bunker busters) in war against other countries.

The Bunker Busters used by the U.S were conventional, not nuclear.

To me this makes the US more of a threat to global peace than Iran having a few nukes that would take out Israel.

Hey I am no fan of U.S foriegn policy, but to be perfectly honest I would rather have America with 6,000 nukes then Iran with half a nuke. I am no real fan of Goerge Bush but I would rather have his hand on the big red button then Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

And even if he takes out Israel, how will that affect you sitting behind your computer in the US?

Okay well I don't kow how likely it would be for Iran to launch a nuclear strike on Israel. You have just assumed that it did happen, so I will play along. On that sense 7 million Israeli's just died, Israel, which also probabley had nukes, most likely launched a counter attack, before disappearing. So how does a nuclear war affect me. Well I am not a heartless bastard and 20 million people dieing in one day, might get to me. The shock from the events would undoubtedly affect the worlds economic stability and that would affect me as well. Hitler didn't really do anything to me personally, I wasn't alive then, doesn't mean I have to like the bastard.

Other than the years of the media creating a long term and subconcious interest in Isreal in a way that the US population would support and defend Israel at almost any cost.

Again I am nt tclaiming that Iran will go on a nuclear strike you presented the situation. But to reply, and put it bluntly, it is stupidity at its best to think that a nuclear war would not affect you.

The guys with the biggest and most guns scare me the most.

The drunk guy holding a .22 scares me a hell of alot more then your average hunter holding a .308

Iran is still years away from even making one nuclear weapon, most likely it will be a test bomb. Gotta test so you know your technology works.

True, but then again you just talked about a nuclear war as if it were a minor inconvience.

If it fails, then back to the drawing board they go. I say they are 5 years away from even getting a test bomb. ONE SINGLE bomb.

I don't neccasarily belive we should hop on the next plane to go bomb Iran, but I do belive there is being prepared. I do belive there is merrit to looking into a situation, and trying to seek resolution before a problem manifests itself as a nuclear war, err... sorry minor inconvience. I can't say the U.S will handle this situation perfectly, and I cannot say I entirely trust the U.S in this situation. However, if the international community ignores the situation and does absolutely nothing the army of one will be more then happy to go in and do somethign about it. Perhaps it would be best if at present the international community takes notice of the situation and decides to act in a method of constraining co-operation with the United States of America. If we sit on our ass to long we loose such an ability. If you don't trust the U.S then the best policy is to ensure you keep them very close, not push them even further into their army of one mode.

[Black Dog]

And if you're wrong? Are you willing to stake your life and the life of your entire family on no fanatics getting hold of nuclear material in Iran - of there being no fanatics among the clergy, none who think they can slip something to terrororists who will set it off anonymously in Tel Aviv?

I certainly don't see how if Iran intended to use its nukes, why they would announce their intention to develop a nuclear program, thumb their nose at international inspectors, and spout forth all kinds of beliggerant rhetoric. All that behaviour is the hallmark of a country that wants to be noticed and wants to play ball, not a bunch of wild-eyed, suicidal fanatics. As for the idea hat they would slip them to terrorists to use, again, why would they spend billions on developing a nuke, only to hand it off to some third party in hopes they use it (also: any nuclear attack on Israel would be blamed on Iran anyway, so its not like the option you present would alow them to escape retaliation) is stuff straiht out of a Tom Clancy book. I'm sure there are fanatics who'd love to get their hands on a nuke. But I'd be far more worried about them getting their hands on one of the many ex-Soviet nukes that are floating around out there than any other possibility.

Of course, you're not betting your life, or your family's life. You're just assuming the Israelis will.

Whereas you suggest launching an attack on Iran based on the thin possibility of them developing nukes and the even thinner possibility of them actually using them. All of that despite the high probability of such an attack causing more problems and more danger for Israel.

[KrustyKidd]

I certainly don't see how if Iran intended to use its nukes, why they would announce their intention to develop a nuclear program, thumb their nose at international inspectors, and spout forth all kinds of beliggerant rhetoric. All that behaviour is the hallmark of a country that wants to be noticed and wants to play ball, not a bunch of wild-eyed, suicidal fanatics. As for the idea hat they would slip them to terrorists to use, again, why would they spend billions on developing a nuke, only to hand it off to some third party in hopes they use it (also: any nuclear attack on Israel would be blamed on Iran anyway, so its not like the option you present would alow them to escape retaliation) is stuff straiht out of a Tom Clancy book. I'm sure there are fanatics who'd love to get their hands on a nuke.

Exactly. If you wish to end monitoring, you just stop allowing it rather than holding press conferences that you are about to.

Iran views Al Queda as an extension of Saudi Wahhabism and subsequently a threat to what they are hoping to achieve in being the leader or, patriarch of the Muslim world. Their relations with the US, Israel during the 80's and in Lebannon are making them look like an American and Israeli lapdog and they have to break that perception if they are to lead the Muslim world, otherwise, Saudi Arabia will continue to be the main stay.

Here is where so much of their problems origionate. While attempting to influence events in Iraq, they did not anticipate the US's ability to press the Sunni/Shiite crack in Iraq and, accomadate both. This left them at a severe disadvantage and set them on the defensive as they then sought formal negotiations in the political makeup of Iraq. To go a step further, the US has also sucessfully pressed this split on both sides by trading and politiking with Iran while then playng their new cooperation as incentives for Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia to be more cooperative. This, while evening out the playing feild also minimized Iranian influence. In order to not be percieved as the above mentioned lapdog for having to be helped out by the US and Israel during the Iran Iraq war, Ahmadinejad was given the mandate to play nutbar to the world to show they still hated the US and Israel too by denying the holocost and threatening nuclear war with nothing but his dick in his hand.

Judging by the squalking going on from the international henhouse, he is one hell of a great actor.

[Black Dog]

In order to not be percieved as the above mentioned lapdog for having to be helped out by the US and Israel during the Iran Iraq war, Ahmadinejad was given the mandate to play nutbar to the world to show they still hated the US and Israel too by denying the holocost and threatening nuclear war with nothing but his dick in his hand.

Judging by the squalking going on from the international henhouse, he is one hell of a great actor.

It's not that he's a great actor (most of his rhetroric is old hat from the Khomeni days): I doubt there's many in the western elite who take Ahmadinejad seriously. But it's certainly within their interests to make it look like they do. After all, if it weren't for all these new Hitler's popping up all the time (if they are swarthy bearded types with inpronouncable names, well, so much the better), we'd have no need of a Big Daddy state to protect us. Best to get the media and other water carriers to blow up the threat as much as possible so that the general public turns to the one group they think is best able to protect them from the wild-eyed foreign maniacs.

Course there's always the possibility this little dance will spiral out of control to the point that one or both parties do something really stupid....