Mahmood to give nuclear technology to all Middle East!

Iran has frequently made its nuclear ambitions known.  They are not part of the nuclear club, and they have been shown the example of how to join: Pakistan and India both joined belatedly after setting them nuclear bombs in a show of force meant to intimidate the each other.  It seems to have worked - all has been quiet on that front for a while.  

Iran has also made it known that they will be obtaining nuclear techology regardless of what the world does to stop their attempts.  They have even gone so far as to make generic (but scary) threats against nations who attempt to block their efforts to obtain nuclear technology at the United Nations.

After all, what can the world do once a nation has harnessed atomic energy?  Accept and move on seems to be the likely scenario.  Let's talk about Ahmadinejad's scary offer after the flip...

Last Saturday, Ahmadinejad made the scarily generous offer of sharing the nuclear technology he obtains with the whole Middle East.  Imagine that nuclear techology isn't obtained only by Iran, but is in the hands of every two-bit king and despot in the whole region?  That radioactive stew is truly a scary consequence of Bush never engaging with Iran to ensure a good solution to this nuclear standoff he seems to be having with Iran.  And these delusions that the US is going to somehow invade Iran is a fool's errand - we passed up the chance to talk to them after we knocked off Iraq.

I haven't even attempted to deal with the historical roots of this issue, which you can find in this lengthly history on Iran, by Lestatdelc.

For additional analysis, I am bowing to others with additional knowledge of this subject.  To me, it is a very scary scenario, and is probably an additional means of ratcheting up the pressure on Bush to sit down and talk.  After all, we have seen North Korea go through the exact same motions, and they have now obtained the bomb, even if only partially (they set off a dud a few months ago, and are likely to see some sort of UN punishment handed down soon).

•  Tips/flames for non-proliferation n/t

  by Prof Dave on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 08:46:43 AM PDT

  •  India + Bush

    Speaking of non-proliferation, care to share your opinion of Bush selling nuclear technology to India?  Considering India has not signed the NPT....

    by sunshineonthebay on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 10:07:14 AM PDT

    •  Bad, bad, bad

      But they are defacto part of the club, and Bush is making it official.

      I would have hoped that they would have made India come within the confines of the rules on nuclear techology prior to selling them additional tech.

      I don't think it would be wise in the long run to keep them out of the nuclear club, but it would have been nice to see us force them within the law-abiding agreements regarding this issue.

      by Prof Dave on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 10:10:06 AM PDT

      •  Too bad Bush doesn't respect the law

        by sunshineonthebay on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 10:10:54 AM PDT

•  nuclear technology

  Nuclear technology is not the same thing as a nuclear bomb.  They should sell nuclear technolgy used for generating electricity without bomb-making abilities.  Afterall, even if they secretly are building a bomb, which beyond Bush rhetoric, has yet to be proved, they're not crazy enough to hand it out to Arab countries, with whom they are on barely cordial terms.

  by sunshineonthebay on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 09:44:35 AM PDT

  •  correction

    I meant to say they "could" sell, not they "should" sell.

    by sunshineonthebay on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 09:47:03 AM PDT

  •  Also...

    Also, despite the "offer," I can't imagine Iran will share that technology with Saudi Arabia, any of the UAE, or Egypt. Syria, maybe. The rest, I doubt it.

    by Brian Bell on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 09:54:35 AM PDT

    •  Exactly

      This is one more in a very long series of moves/statements by Ahmadinejad and Iran to split the interests of the US and the Gulf Countries.

      This offer itself will never happen, but it is very useful to show what is going on.  Iran is scared of one thing right now: the Gulf Countries or the entire Arab world uniting against it.  That basically happened during the Iran-Iraq War.  Over $100 billion in gifts and loans from the Gulf monarchies kept Saddam afloat througout the war (don't ever underestimate this, Iraq would have collapsed and lost without this).  The Gulf countries were also instrumental in pushing the US to intervene and protect oil shipments, which hurt Iran's ability to respond to Iraq.  

      More recently, remember that after war broke out between Hezbollah (an Iranian ally) and Israel, all of the Gulf Countries initially supported Israel and blamed Hezbollah.  They were forced to change their positions after a few weeks, but for a time, they were perfectly happy supporting their supposedly hated enemy because it was trying to destroy an Iranian ally.

      Since about 1985, Iran has mounted a major charm offensive in the Gulf.  That has kicked into overdrive in the last couple of years as Iranian-US tensions have come to the surface.  This whole "nuclear offer" is very enlightening as part of that campaign, but it is unimportant for itself.  It's very unlikely to happen, and if it did the political scene would already be so different that our worrying now wouldn't matter.

      by weasel on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 10:49:02 AM PDT

  •  True... NPT =/= PNAC policy

    by Opinionated Ed on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 10:01:02 AM PDT

•  You should have read

  this diary before writing this scary little piece of propaganda.  Ahmadinejad may seem scary to some, but he's not half as scary as the enemy within.  If you want to righteously scare people, you should be writing about George Bush and his profoundly dangerous foreign policy.  If we want to ensure our safety and the stability of the middle east, we should try educating ourselves, urging our leaders to participate in real diplomacy, and refrain from demonizing people without understanding them.

  by Got a Grip on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 09:57:21 AM PDT

  •  He is dangerous

    because George Bush won't deal with him.  I noted that in the article.

    Any time that Bush sits down to talk, he will be removed as a powerful figure because he derives his power from being loud and obnoxious about how Iran hates the US (though it's not really the case).

    You apparently didn't note this:  

    To me, it is a very scary scenario, and is probably an additional means of ratcheting up the pressure on Bush to sit down and talk.

    This wasn't a hit piece, this was to note the danger of non-engagement.

    Re: propaganda:  it's being widely reported.  There are 150 articles there already from worldwide and reputable sources.

    If you aren't already concerned about where this is headed without my pointing out the nuclear proliferation that could go on, ok...

    by Prof Dave on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 10:08:04 AM PDT

  •  Christ, at least read my diary before critiquing

    I had the exact same link to Lestatdelc in the body of my diary pointing out the same diary that you are telling me about "scary propaganda".

    Give me a break.  Learn to read thoroughly if you are going to post a critique like that.

    by Prof Dave on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 10:13:36 AM PDT

    •  and if you had bothered to read the article you

      linked to, you'd know that Iran is not doing anything illegal, he's not offering weaponry to other countries, all of his nuclear material has been accounted for, and he has offered to sign an  agreement which BUSH rejected on non-proliferation.  I read your diary, I just happen to disagree with it.  So you give me a break.  In the great scheme of things, we're the scary ones.

      by Got a Grip on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 12:12:43 AM PDT

      •  Your lack of reading and misunderstanding of my

        point stand.

        I didn't say nuclear bombs.  I don't particularly want anyone to have new nuclear anything.  Especially a bunch of dictators in the middle east.

        Did I say our hands were clean?  No, I said specifically that

        That radioactive stew is truly a scary consequence of Bush never engaging with Iran to ensure a good solution to this nuclear standoff he seems to be having with Iran.

        Thanks for crapping in my diary.  Have a nice day.

        by Prof Dave on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 07:30:25 AM PDT