by Yoram Ettinger
Contrary to
conventional "wisdom," Iran considers the U.S. and the Arab
oil-producing Gulf States -- not Israel -- the primary target for its
nuclear capabilities. Iran pursues nuclear mega-capabilities to advance
its mega-goal (domination of the Gulf and Sunni Islam), by removing the
mega-obstacle (U.S. power projection), irrespective of Israel's
existence and policies, the Arab-Israeli conflict or the Palestinian
issue.
In the pursuit of
agreements and peace with rogue regimes, the free world must overcome
its inherent temptation to subordinate common sense and reality-check to
delusion and wishful-thinking, lest such agreements minimize the free
world's posture of deterrence and the prospects of peace, while
maximizing lawlessness, terrorism and the prospects of war.
Irrespective of
President Hassan Rouhani's ostensible pledges to end abuse of human
rights in Iran, the minority regime of the ayatollahs and mullahs
persists in oppressing the majority of Iranians and the number of
executions since the rise of Rouhani has increased.
"The U.N. envoy on
human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, said last month that Iran's human
rights record should not be overlooked amid overtures to the West by
Rouhani. He criticized Tehran
for executing 724 people in 18 months, including dozens after Rouhani
was elected in June." Rouhani's intolerance of civil liberties -- such
as freedom of religion, press, speech and association and equal rights
for women and ethnic minorities -- reflect his genuine values and
worldview.
But, Rouhani is expected to comply with agreements...
The diplomatic option
is appropriately applied to rogue regimes that abandon violence and
embrace peaceful coexistence. The military option of deterrence should
be appropriately applied toward rogue regimes which embrace violence.
While negotiating with the U.S., Iran is the leading sponsor of
anti-American Islamic terrorism; the chief axis of unprecedented
terrorism in Iraq; the key perpetrator of subversion and terrorism in
the pro-U.S. Arab oil-producing Gulf States; the top supporter of
jihadist movements in Africa and the killing of U.S. soldiers in Iraq
and Afghanistan; a collaborator with the anti-U.S. regimes in Venezuela,
Bolivia and Ecuador; and the anti-U.S. hate-educator of Iranian youth.
But, Rouhani is expected to comply with agreements...
Rouhani has intensified
technological, scientific, economic, diplomatic and military
cooperation with North Korea. The two are currently engaged in the joint
development of a new long-range missile, capable of carrying nuclear
warheads, which could reach the United States, "the Great Satan"
according to both Iran and North Korea. But, Rouhani is expected to
comply with agreements….
A free world which is
overly-anxious to conclude an agreement with rogue regimes is destined
to pay a heavy price. Moreover, the assumption that rogue regimes would
not sacrifice the welfare of their people on the altar of military
superiority dooms the free world to learn from history by repeating past
critical mistakes. In 2009, North Korea welcomed U.S. President Barack
Obama by flexing its nuclear muscle (test), highlighting the dereliction
by Wendy Sherman, who led Clinton's failed negotiation with North
Korea, and is currently heading the negotiation with Iran. Sherman
deluded herself that the North Korea dictator supposedly recognized that
the adverse economic consequences of pursuing nuclear capabilities
could topple his regime. Fifty years of diplomacy, economic sanctions
and agreements -- loaded with verifications, sticks and carrots -- to
test North Korean intentions paved the road to another anti-U.S. nuclear
rogue regime. Thirty-three years of U.S. sanctions and diplomacy have
not transformed Iran, which is at the last lap of the nuclear marathon.
But, Rouhani is expected to comply with agreements...
Rouhani was not elected
democratically, but was handpicked by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, the omnipotent Shiite Muslim ruler of Iran. Khamenei adheres
to the Quran-based taqiyya, kitman and do-pahlu concepts, which were
introduced by the Shiites, shielding Muslims from the "infidel" and from
each other via double-talk and deception-based provisional agreements,
which are abrogated once conditions are ripe.
But, Rouhani is expected to comply with agreements…
Rouhani (just like
Syrian President Bashar Assad upon succeeding his father) is considered a
reformer by Western policy makers and media. However, Rouhani
demonstrated his own taqiyya capabilities, while serving as Iran's chief
negotiator with the International Atomic Energy Agency. He
systematically violated commitments made, providing Iran with extra time
to acquire nuclear capabilities. In September, 2002, while serving as
the chairman of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Rouhani
stated: "When we sign international treaties, it means that we are not
pursuing nuclear weapons. We are not pursuing chemical weapons. We are
not pursuing biological weapons." Rouhani was one of the planners of the
1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which
killed 85 civilians.
But, Rouhani is expected to comply with agreements...
Iran's track record of
systematic non-compliance is consistent with Middle East reality, which
has never experienced intra-Muslim compliance with most intra-Muslim
agreements, domestically and regionally. Unlike the free world, which
considers agreements as a means to advance peaceful coexistence, rogue
regimes with megalomaniac-imperialistic aspirations consider agreements a
means to enhance their capabilities, in order to eventually overcome
partners to such agreements.
But, Rouhani is expected to comply with agreements...
The November 23, 2013
agreement with Iran subordinated common sense and reality-check to
oversimplification and wishful-thinking. It follows in the footsteps of a
policy which provided a tailwind to the anti-U.S. Muslim Brotherhood in
Egypt, facilitated the replacement of President Moammar Gadhafi's
tyranny with a worse anti-U.S. regime, handed Putin a major gain in
Syria, instills panic in Saudi Arabia and other pro-U.S. Gulf States and
funds hate-education in the Palestinian Authority.
The agreement provided
Iran with the most essential resource -- time -- to attain nuclear
capabilities, transforming Iran from a tactical -- to a strategic --
threat. Unlike the USSR, the apocalyptic regime in Iran was ready to
sacrifice some 500,000 youngsters to clear minefields during its war
against Iraq, signaling its defiance of the logic of mutually assured
destruction. The nature of the Iranian regime on the one hand and
compliance with agreements on the other hand constitute a classic
oxymoron.
But, Rouhani is expected to comply with agreements...
Yoram Ettinger
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=6513
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment