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In early April, Iran announced that it was installing 6,000 more centrifuges (which produce uranium, a key ingredient of a nuclear weapon), in addition to the 3,000 already operating. The world did nothing! As I am writing this piece, President Bush is finishing his final tour of Europe, where he apparently has achieved some kind of consensus among the western European powers to place more sanctions upon Iran. Will these sanctions, assuming they are implemented, halt Iran’s nuclear program? I seriously doubt it. Iran gives every evidence of pursing uranium enrichment and the development of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.
What shall we do? Charles Krauthammer strongly suggests that the United States employ the same foreign policy goal it did during the Cold War with the USSR—deterrence. “During the Cold War, we were successful in preventing an attack not only on the United States but also on America’s allies. We did it by extending the American nuclear umbrella—i.e., declaring that any attack on our allies would be considered an attack on the United States.” For that reason, Krauthammer suggests that the US issue a declaration, adopting the language of President Kennedy during the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962:
“It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear attack upon Israel by Iran, or originating in Iran, as an attack by Iran on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon Iran.” He adds: “As a beacon of tolerance and as leader of the free world, the United States will not permit a second Holocaust to be perpetuated upon the Jewish people.”
Why is this necessary? Because, Israel has “an implacable neighboring power [that] has openly declared genocidal intentions against it—in clear violation of the UN Charter—and is defying the international community by pursuing the means to carry out that intent. [And] the world does nothing.” Because the US and the world have failed to halt Iran’s clear goal to achieve nuclear status, the US must take the lead to deter their use of these weapons. The Holocaust Declaration is a formidable act of deterrence—in fact, the only one left!
See Krauthammer’s essay in the Washington Post (11 April 2008). |
