Final Solution

Submitted by Dr. Lee D. Cary (United States), Nov 1, 2005 at 18:01

Dr. Pipes asks, at the end of "Iran's Final Solution Plan," the question - Will we act in time?

If "we" is Europe, the answer is - No. Continental Europe was eviscerated for generations by the collective trauma of WWII. Like a old boxer hit too often, Europe can only talk and flinch. They've been bled to pacifity.

If "we" is the US, perhaps with Great Britian, the answer is also - No. Just today the US Senate went into closed session to play "gotchya" regarding the intelligence leading up the invasion of Iraq. That's swell. As a governing body, they've neutralized themselves. The Executive Branch, also, has its own distractive problems. Strong action toward Iran is today a bridge too far right for the US. Not to say that it should be; it just is. We'll wait till they test a nuke, then choatic finger-pointing will reign in DC.

If "we" is Israel, then the answer is a qualified "Yes" if (1) they have real intelligence that yields a comprehensive targetting package, and (2) the US offers low profile backing - like securing flight corridors and providing mid-air refueling. The U.N. would launch into a hissy fit of special sessions as the dust clears, but its credibility today is at rock bottom, so who cares. If your neighbor points a gun at your children and says they deserve to be shot, and you too have a gun, what do you do when there are no police?

We in the West largely discount the statements from Iran's leaders that Dr. Pipes chronicles. We calm ourselvs by hearing them as hyperbole designed for media consumption. The Israelis know better because they've experienced worse from madmen. Perhaps it's time for an American President to say that "An unprovoked nuclear attack on Israel will be seen by the United States as an attack on us, and we will aid Israel in retaliating with overwhelming destruction against the source." If Iran is collectively crazy enough to commit mass suicide in order to exercise it's Final Solution, then all Iranians should know it can happen. We should speak to them along those lines, very seriously, very pubicly, and very soon.

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