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Mid-East nuclear build up endangers world

While catching up on my news this weekend, I came across an article that was all at once humorous and horrifying, simultaneously asinine and arrogant, to such an extent that I felt I had to quell my involuntary laughter, or risk making light of events, which for all intents and purposes, could lead to the destruction of mankind.

After the U.S. agreed to share nuclear secrets with India, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency said that the deal “will create new crises for the international community.” What is comical is that this is coming from a nation that has no qualms about stirring up conflicts with other nations; what is terrible is that this history of violence lends a great deal of credibility to the words.

And now we hear that Iran may seek to limit the IAEA’s access to its purportedly “civilian” nuclear program. This is, without a doubt, a direct threat to the security of the region and, more specifically, to the state of Israel.

This brings me to my main point: the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East must be a primary concern of not just the United States, but of the whole world. Specifically, nations like Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weaponry because, in all likelihood, they are prone to use it, most likely on Israel.

We need to examine the history and rhetoric of every Middle-Eastern nation and decide whether or not they are “mature enough” to handle nuclear arms. The first requirement should be full transparency of their nuclear programs.

Any state that has a “don’t tell” policy with regards to its nuclear technology should be sanctioned without hesitation. It is simply ludicrous that any nation be able to potentially house nuclear armaments without the knowledge of the rest of the world.

Second, we must look to recent history and assess just how often these nations are in conflict with one another. Constant instability and violation of neighboring nations’ borders should raise very serious concerns. Any nation that has been involved in at least a dozen conflicts — both within and outside of its own borders — should be considered too volatile to have nuclear weapons.

Third, the rhetoric coming from the nations’ leaders can be a prime indicator of their militancy. For example, if a national figure were to state that nearby nations and ethnicities “do not exist,” that should raise eyebrows.

If they routinely state that they, as a nation, are part of God’s will, that must also be considered. More importantly, if they talk of their neighbors as being less than human, “beasts walking on two legs” who should be “crushed like grasshoppers…heads smashed against the boulders and walls,” that alone should preclude them from owning any nuclear material whatsoever, civilian or otherwise.

Given all of this, I think it is obvious which nation I am referring to. Rarely does a day go by when it is not in the news for some new and reckless action.

I am, of course, talking about …Israel?

No, wait, that can’t be right. Hang on, let me just find that…that folder I had.

Seriously? Damn. Well, in that case, forget everything I was saying. It’s obvious that even despite all of this, Israel is more than worthy of having nuclear weapons. It would be anti-Semitic, unpatriotic and, above all, unreasonable to suggest otherwise.

Matthew Kirchner is a senior English major and a columnist for the Daily Forty-Niner.

One Comment

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    Chuck Johnson

    Great column. Why should any patriotic American care about Iran having nukes? Iran doesn’t threaten the USA and hasn’t attacked their neighbors. Israel, which has nukes, HAS attacked their neighbors, including Lebanon with thousands of cluster bombs which continue to kill innocent civilians. Israel is the aggressor. Israel is the problem. Terminate aid to Israel and they will be forced to learn to get along with their neighbors. At that point we can bring our troops home from the war which has broken America financially just like Bin Laden predicted it would. American policy should be made for the benefit of Americans, not landgrabbing Israelis.

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