It is hard to believe that a country like Iran has any serious, offensive, military ambitions. The most rational supposition at the moment is that it feels threatened by the presence of US Forces (and others) in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is taking steps to protect its sovereignty. Let us not forget that the US caused considerable instability in Iran during the Cold War, and I imagine the current administration can see history repeating itself.
It has been said above, but countries do enter into a different sphere of significance on an International level once they develop Nuclear technology, and it is not unreasonable to suggest that this world recognition is something they covet.
So yes, Iran's grounds for trying to get the technology aren't necessarily suspicious, and I don't want to believe that Iran wants to use Nuclear weapons. However it is impossible to underestimate the depth of the feeling they hold, that the West is constantly holding them back, and wronging them. We might perceive it to be religious radicalism, but I assure you, they think exactly the same of Americans who seek to use the book of Revelations to dictate foreign policy.
When (or if) terrorists acquire the nuclear technology, the threat they directly pose to the Western World is not going to be via a missile strike. I think the main fear is that the technology will be used to create a 'dirty bomb' - one that doesn't do a lot of damage, but from which the radioactive fallout will take out a whole city depending on the wind, rendering it unliveable for decades.
I agree that Iran's claims have mostly been Propaganda.
However when something so serious as Nuclear Weapons is the topic, it doesn't do to play down the country's claims. I'm sure that if a terrorist organisation had purported to be able to take out entire buildings such as the WTC prior to the 9/11 attacks, their claims would have been rubbished.
And if you're worried about the impartiality of your News, you can always check out internet sites where censoring is almost impossible. At worst you could take the time to read BBC's World Service which is dependably accurate (not that I'm biased or anything
), but that really is the tip of the iceberg.
?
Sorry....:2 cents:
It has been said above, but countries do enter into a different sphere of significance on an International level once they develop Nuclear technology, and it is not unreasonable to suggest that this world recognition is something they covet.
So yes, Iran's grounds for trying to get the technology aren't necessarily suspicious, and I don't want to believe that Iran wants to use Nuclear weapons. However it is impossible to underestimate the depth of the feeling they hold, that the West is constantly holding them back, and wronging them. We might perceive it to be religious radicalism, but I assure you, they think exactly the same of Americans who seek to use the book of Revelations to dictate foreign policy.
Iran's most immediate target, if it does indeed have a military agenda for its nuclear technology, is likely to be Israel. Given Israel's proximity to Iran (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Middle_east.jpg), the danger of them developing nuclear weaponry hardly swings on the missile technology to deploy it.dragonturtle said:
When (or if) terrorists acquire the nuclear technology, the threat they directly pose to the Western World is not going to be via a missile strike. I think the main fear is that the technology will be used to create a 'dirty bomb' - one that doesn't do a lot of damage, but from which the radioactive fallout will take out a whole city depending on the wind, rendering it unliveable for decades.
Governments and Terrorist Organisations are more intrinsically linked than it appears, something that is evidenced merely by the fact that they are able to exist so freely.dragonturtle said:
I think Mr Ahmadinejad has been portrayed in the News to be eccentric and volatile. Whether this is unfair or not, I couldn't say. However criticable you may find Iran's democracy to be, it would be rather odd to suggest that in a country with universal suffrage the current incumbent does not have a large amount of public support behind them.dragonturtle said:
I agree that Iran's claims have mostly been Propaganda.
However when something so serious as Nuclear Weapons is the topic, it doesn't do to play down the country's claims. I'm sure that if a terrorist organisation had purported to be able to take out entire buildings such as the WTC prior to the 9/11 attacks, their claims would have been rubbished.
And if you're worried about the impartiality of your News, you can always check out internet sites where censoring is almost impossible. At worst you could take the time to read BBC's World Service which is dependably accurate (not that I'm biased or anything
), but that really is the tip of the iceberg. ?Sorry....:2 cents:
