The French Foreign Minister has come out with an
unequivocable statement that France believes Iran is pursuing nuclear technology for military means. Britain is backing this statement, and Germany seems to support it as well.
This is good news right? It means Europe is finally starting to get serious about the threat from Iran, right? Isn't it the silver lining on the big grey cloud of Iran's nuclear program?
Well, I don't think so. Consider this: Here we are with the question of Iran's intent pretty much settled. No one's denying (other than Iran) that this is a program bent on aquiring nuclear weapons. And the reaction is.. (drumroll)
America: 'We're very concerned but we'll continue to give diplomacy a chance'
Europe: 'Let's not talk about military options, we're going to solve this problem diplomatically'
Russia and China: 'We're very concerned about all this - that is, we're very concerned that America might approach this problem militarily, which is an idea we're very opposed to'
So, personally, I think this is a big black lining on the grey cloud. Even when Europe acknowledges the incredible threat that is developing in Iran, they still can't muster anything more than tut-tuts and incantations of their faith in the miracle of diplomacy.
The world's a dangerous place. Even if we somehow dodge this particular bullet, the continued spineless posturing of Europe, the outright opposition of Russia and China, and the growing American difficulty with juggling global security on its own, are good indications we won't escape the next bullets.
