Thursday, January 19, 2006
Syria backs Iranian Nuclear Program
I have been saying all along that the Iranian goal is to show that they have some power against the Americans, encouraging other Muslim nations from following Iran, and banding together against the western countries. This is the first step in that process, and a very dangerous step.
Every day that we show the inability to achieve a decisive victory in Iraq is another day that our troops are spread out and unable to answer other threats in the region. And every day brings another suicide attack with major US losses, with no real movement towards stability in the country. These are all victories for the Muslim world, and provide Iran with a bit more ammunition for its claim that they can challenge the West.
We tell ourselves that Ahmadinejad is a madman, that no one would follow him. We believe that the risk will be limited because he is such an extremist, and no one could really take him seriously when he challenges the West. And yet, here he is, gaining the support of Syria, one of the strongest countries militarily in the region, and a country with a long history of brutality.
And this will not be the last country to stand behind Iran. As our vulnerability becomes more and more evident, other countries who feel like they have been neglected over the years will fall behind Iran, believing that perhaps Iran can give them a better future. And the number of countries that would back Iran if it became a nuclear power would increase even more.
This is the worst case scenario, or the beginning of it at least. Let’s hope that Bush can show the strength necessary to prevent more countries from backing Iran, and bring us back into a situation where other countries respect us, and even fear us. Otherwise, I’m not so sure I like the scenarios I see for the near future.
Posted by Scottage at 6:28 PM /
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