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The Forum > Article Comments > The imagined nationalism and its role in Iranian offensive nuclear policy > Comments

The imagined nationalism and its role in Iranian offensive nuclear policy : Comments

By Ali Omidi, published 7/3/2012

The west needs to understand Iranian nationalism before it blunders into aggression.

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Pericles

'Not all expressions of nationalism "[reek] of the same controlled narrative of the German Third Reich", Killarney.'

I'm not sure what you mean by this. I agree with what you say, and the rest of my post should validate that. The 'controlled narrative' I referred to was the one created by the Allied powers ABOUT the rise of the Third Reich.

I found the author's constant harping on the ancient Persian empire was a 2-edged sword - (perhaps inadvertantly) feeding into Western fears that today's Iran has expansionist ambitions. I also found his insistence on putting 'nationalism' in inverted commas a bit worrying - as if he is implying that it's not really nationalism at all, but a sense of exceptionalism (and we all know where that sort of national group-think can lead).

I fully agree with the rest of your post, except that I have no qualms about using the word 'hypocrisy' in the West's dealings with Iran 's nuclear ambitions. Even if Iran did intend to develop nuclear weapons, it won't make them any more dangerous to world security than India or Pakistan. Even though I loathe nuclear weapons and wish they could all be banned, I can see that for a country surrounded by hostile nuclear powers, developing your own nukes may well be your only hope real hope of long-term survival.
Posted by Killarney, Thursday, 8 March 2012 3:09:11 PM
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Hi Yabby

I think we're on the same track. Note I said:

"A nuclear arms race of three more Middle Eastern countries triggered by Iran is not in anyone's including Iran's interests."

in my post before the last one.

Israel has an overwelming ability to retaliate against Iran - which may well make Israel safer than other Middle East countries.

Of the Middle Eastern countries Israel has a vastly more powerful nuclear arsenal - estimated to be 100+ thermonuclear weapons (ie H-Bombs). This arsenal was aquired with the help of national governments (mainly France, UK, Norway) providing a reactor, plutonium plant, heavy water, joint test facilities in the Sahara Desert and H-Bomb test data gleaned from France's South Pacific nuclear tests.

Compared to that few believe that Iran could develop comparable H-Bombs in the next 20 years.

While Israel may be safer it is the only Middle East country with the military capacity to carry out successful airstrikes against Iran's nuclear sites. Israel is also the only Middle East country that can rely on the US to carry out follow up strikes and other actions (like a mass cyber attack on Iran's entire Internet network) to prevent Israel failing.

So Israel may act not because its most vulnerable but because its the only Middle Eastern power that might be successful against Iran.

Pete
Posted by plantagenet, Thursday, 8 March 2012 4:17:19 PM
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*Compared to that few believe that Iran could develop comparable H-Bombs in the next 20 years.*

Pete, I don't think they need to. You can't outbomb each other
with H'bombs, as everyone loses, not just one side.
Posted by Yabby, Thursday, 8 March 2012 6:00:19 PM
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The Iranians may have gone further than most people think if this report from AP is correct.

Images appear to show cleanup at Iranian nuclear site

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/03/07/3793273/images-appear-to-show-cleanup.html

>>VIENNA -- Satellite images of an Iranian military facility appear to show trucks and earth-moving vehicles at the site, indicating an attempted cleanup of radioactive traces possibly left by tests of a nuclear-weapon trigger, diplomats told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

[...]

Two of the diplomats said the crews at the Parchin military site may be trying to erase evidence of tests of a small experimental neutron device used to set off a nuclear explosion. A third diplomat could not confirm that but said any attempt to trigger a so-called neutron initiator could only be in the context of trying to develop nuclear arms.>>
Posted by stevenlmeyer, Thursday, 8 March 2012 6:14:48 PM
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