Energizing the debate on Iran and the bomb

Threats against Iran. Talks with the UN. More threats. A Middle East war. A ceasefire. More talks.

That's pretty much where we're at with Iran and the nuclear genie. Three months after I wrote on this topic from Vancouver's Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (read the link here) things are pretty much where I left them.

Deadlines come and go and the media attention on this topic seems to rise and fall (but never entirely dissipate) and my views haven't changed.

Yes, Iran is run by religious zealots and their front man, President Ahmadinejad, is constantly hinting at a genocidal attack on the Zionist Entity (who knew that the word "Israel" was so difficult for people to pronounce?) Yes, Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. And, yes, Iran's human rights record stinks.

But the world needs energy. Iran's oil reserves are not endless. Its people will not willingly go back to living in caves and tents in a few decades as the wells run dry. Since there aren't any Niagara Falls-sized hydroelectric projects in the works in what is a region of rocks and deserts, nuclear energy is the only option for Iranian energy self-sufficiency over the long term.

Iran will get nuclear power. It may get the bomb as well, but there is nothing the world can do about that. Pakistan and North Korea were able to do it at a time when masses of their populations were repressed and literally starving. Iran, with its oil wealth and educated population, can do the same if it wants.

The international community, including Canada, can and should condemn Iran's government based on its human rights record. This, more than anything, could lead to a perestroika for Iran. Making threats without the ability to back them up just makes the international community (in particular, Western countries) look weak and foolish.

tags: Iran nuclear, Middle East oil, Israel genocide, Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, CANDU