Israel Matzav

It only takes a few days...

Israel and the United States argued this past week over 'red lines' with regard to Iran. For Israel, the red line should be to stop Iran from even developing a nuclear weapons capability. For the US, a nuclear weapons capability is okay, so long as Iran does not develop actual nuclear weapons. The problem, writes Michael Rubin, is that the difference between them is a matter of a few days.

Iran, the White House suggests, should be allowed to become like Japan, a state that has all the technology to put together a nuclear weapon but simply has not chosen to do so. Never mind that Iran is not Japan, and that the two states have very different ideologies. Cultural and moral relativism, however popular they may be in this administration, should never mean turning a blind eye toward an enemy achieving superior weapons technology just because an ally has it.

American policymakers have used the red line controversy to delude themselves into believing that intelligence reports which suggest Iran has yet to make a decision to develop nuclear weapons means the West still has time to allow diplomacy to work. The problem is that once Iran develops nuclear weapons capability—a capability which the IAEA suggests they aim to achieve—it would only take a few days to develop nuclear weapons.

Red lines are important, but so too is a basic understanding of the Iranian threat. Obama may mesmerize progressives with his rhetoric, but sometimes charisma is not enough to cover up basic facts. By defining red lines where he does, Obama is acknowledging he is prepared to see Iran develop nuclear weapons. That is not in the U.S. national interest, and it is disingenuous for Obama to suggest otherwise.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Iranian nuclear threat

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:20 PM