Re: Iran & Canada

Jordan's Piece on Iran made me write the following response which I believe was necessary since the WS readers need to know more about things they read and hear...

First of all, it is really disappointing to see that a US ally such as Canada let the US go down its "destructive path" instead of helping it all the way. But the issue is not there, the core of Jordan's argument is that "a grand bargain" will somehow stop the Iranian regime in its hot pursuit of weapon related nuclear technology but he fails to tell us how he'd like to address the fact that Iranian regime's ultimate survival is going to be solely depended on nuclear weapons since it is facing several threats from the outside world, mainly US and other western powers and also from inside where majority of people are increasingly anti-regime and pro-freedom. A regime, as Jordan Michael Smith put it, is "weak, fearful and defensive" will not give up because if it does so, it will lose its iron-fist gained legitimacy among its own unhappy people more than ever. And it is also naive to think that they will be convinced to give up their nuclear ambitions since the mullahs know they can not match the conventional power of the coalition forces and therefore nuclear weapons will be the only answer to that growing threat.

I'd like to address some of the issues raised in Jordan's piece:

1- European union has been trying hard on the so-called "grand bargain" with the Iranians since 1997 through a process the EU dubbed "Critical Negotiations" and these negotiations collapsed in 2005 when the regime decided to go on with its nuclear program disregarding the demands of EU and IAEA to halt its enrichment program. FYI, Iran has already disregarded two serious UNSC resolutions to halt its nuke program which resulted in somewhat light sanctions against the regime and its cronies. Iran is going to step in Saddam's path to destruction and war by ignoring the UN resolutions. [+]

2- Jordan seems to be worried about the US losing its legitimacy further around the world if they would go to war with Iran. I disagree with that notion and I'd like to mention that, what will de-legitimize the US and other western powers in the eyes of freedom loving people of the world is these useless "negotiations with evil people". Indeed what the Iranian people love about Canada and the US is that these two governments have been doing their best not to trade with the regime and isolate that wicked regime at the international level.

3- Unlike Soviet Union and China, Iran doesn't have a powerful conventional military might that would protect its regime and also be a "MAD" (Mutually Assured Destruction) factor. This means, as I mentioned above, that the Iranians have no option but to opt for nuclear weapons as a deterrent. Now, are we ready to accept a nuke-armed Iran? A regime that has, in many occasions, vowed to wipe Israel (an ally of Canada and the US) off the map. Ask yourself whether we're willing to let the mullahs do that thing once they have the bomb? One may argue that Soviets had vowed to do the same and they never did, but my response is that a regime that easily uses the cranes to hang people and calls on the world to convert to its own version of radical Islam should not be given that opportunity to begin with. We simply can't risk...

4- Instead of letting America go down in its fight against the world banker of terrorism, i.e Iran, we in Canada must help the Americans in their efforts against that tyrannical regime. One of the best ways to counter the Iranian threat is to help the people of Iran through any possible means. But if it ever comes down to "tactical strikes" against the regime, Canada must stand behind the United States since the threat of a nuclear armed Iran is a serious threat to the existence of the western civilization in which Canada is a prime member. But like I said, the best viable option to deal with the mullahs is to help embolden the people of Iran. Canada can help, for instance, by setting up a Persian language radio broadcast into Iran or by setting up funds helping the striking workers' families. Canada has a lot of potentials in helping us free that country. We haven't tried our options yet....

As someone who has lived all of his life in that country and seen the brutality of the regime first hand, I urge all westerners to realize that the threat posed by the Iranian theocracy is serious and dangerous and any negligence in dealing with this growing cancer will be catastrophic. A free and nuclear free Iran ensures a peaceful and prosperous middle-east where terrorists won't be bred to fight the infidels with the Iranian money.

Cross-posted