The New York Times today has published an Op-Ed piece by Alan Kuperman of University of Texas, in which the author calls for an immediate US air strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. The significance of the article is its publication by the New York Times.
Negotiation to prevent nuclear proliferation is always preferable to military action. But in the face of failed diplomacy, eschewing force is tantamount to appeasement. We have reached the point where air strikes are the only plausible option with any prospect of preventing Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. Postponing military action merely provides Iran a window to expand, disperse and harden its nuclear facilities against attack. The sooner the United States takes action, the better.
There was a similar argument recently put forward in the LAT. Now another's been published in the NYT. Have to say, this latest one possesses greater flaws than most.
ReplyDeleteWhat is striking in these pro-war screeds is that no one ever seriously puts forward a credible Iran perspective to such an attack. This element of the subject is always lightly discussed or even dismissed.
The Iranians have been (at the very least) mentally prepared for such an attack since a second aircraft carrier force was pointed at it in the Persian Gulf in early 2007. As such, it has now had three years with which to plan and prepare for responses to a number of scenarios, some undoubtably constituting chains of escalation, including a very real (as opposed to a dormant or latent) capacity for full nuclear weapon status.
That the NYT and others give voice to these is yet another parallel to the grossly misguided efforts that propelled the US into the Iraq War fiasco.
Mark,
ReplyDeleteI do not recall any op-ed pieces ever published in NYT calling for a US attack on Iran. This is the first. And this is the significance of this article, notwithstanding its many flawed arguments.
Obama's little puppy barking again?
ReplyDeleteiran will be strike in two heavy front one will be in political front againest usa and israel nuclear weapon in huge attacker for international disarmement secound usa poeple to fight in side usa to challenge theire government obama in commming years 2010 specially usa weakeneces in ecconomy which no signe of reccovery. secound level as prepeared for war they might preapered for world nuclear weapon disarmement as strong signe showing iranian active role in japan as jalili from supperiem leather to cordinate with japanias counter part to start intire world leather to face up together to make law of order to dismess intire nuclear war head in the world.
ReplyDeletenader uskowi is a barker too as it seems
ReplyDeleteTEHRAN, Iran -- Iran approved plans Sunday (11/29/09) to build 10 industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities, a dramatic expansion of the program in defiance of U.N. demands it halt enrichment and a move that is likely to significantly heighten tensions with the West.
ReplyDeletePresident Mahmud Ahmadinejad ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to begin building five uranium enrichment plants at sites that have already been studied and propose five other locations for future construction within two months, the state news agency IRNA reported. All would be at the same scale as Natanz.
The new sites are to be built inside mountains to protect them from possible attacks, said Salehi, Iran's nuclear chief. They will also use a new generation of more efficient and more productive centrifuges that Iran has been working to construct, he and Ahmadinejad said.
Ahmadinejad said 500,000 centrifuges will be needed in the new plants to produce between 250 to 300 tons of fuel annually, IRNA reported.
About 8,600 centrifuges have been set up in Natanz, but only about 4,000 are actively enriching uranium, according to the IAEA. The facility will eventually house 54,000 centrifuges. The Fordo site (in Qom) is smaller, built for nearly 3,000 centrifuges.
Note: It is highly likely that the building of the "five uranium enrichment plants at sites that have already been studied and proposed" are already complete or nearly complete and that the other 5 locations are under construction currently. The Iranians denied the Natanz and the Esfahan sites for years and only admitted the existence of the Fordo site in Qom after the US leaked its knowledge of the site. Attached are sites I feel may be among the 10 sites the Iranians have discussed.
The imagery dates from 2003 to 2009 so the current level of completion of each site is questionable. As in past practice the Iranians will likely place the sites on or near existing military facilities for security and air defense necessities.
On Dec. 13, 2009 news broke that an Iranian program to test a neutron initiator, the component of a nuclear bomb with no civilian use, had been discovered and had been on going since 2007. This indicates a final stage in Iran's attempt to build a nuclear bomb. The Iranian government has in the past strongly denied the existence of a bomb-building program.
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US can not bomb the knowhow. There has to be political/diplomatic/economic solution. Military solution can only gain time but then it will increase the Iranian resolve to get the bomb.
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