No bombing Iranian nuclear facilities

Submitted by Garry Prior (Malaysia), Nov 2, 2006 at 00:00

I supported the invasion of Iraq but feel that winning the peace is more important than winning the war. America can win the war in Iran, but that only opens another hole into which the US and the rest of the world can stumble.

Having read extensively on the subject, I am attracted to the arguement that Iran craves respect (as does Hamas and Hezbollah) and that in many ways they deserve it now, having displayed valour, ingenuity and principle. I am one who feels happier to see Russia re-invigorated by oil wealth and restating its terms of engagement.

The MAD treaty was the result of contemplation of consequences too terrible to countenance. I suspect that Iran will feel just as concerned to survive as China proved when it was said that Mao was prepared to lose half the Chinese population in a nuclear war.The oil wealth saturating these economies will create societies that will want to live and not die for abstract principles. It won't happen at once, but neither will nuclear armageddon.

Without any disrespect, the rhetoric coming from the Middle East ( and indeed North Korea) is precisely that. It is designed to shore up short term emotional needs for self respect and defiance of the awful circumstances in which the societies find themselves. It should not be mistaken as the final word on any issue.

One of the greatest gifts I have received in nearly 40 years of living in Asia is the ability to live harmoniously with inconsistency. Asia could not function without this. It is only the logical deterministic tendencies of mostly Western legal theories that require every principle to be carried to its logical conclusion, however absurd or harmful that may be.

Instead of confronting each other, we should be looking for ways to trade and invest in each other. What a difference a couple of decades have made to China? What's a decade between nations? Let alone friends?

Israel should take up Hamas' offer of a decade of ceasefire and use the time to invest in the Palestinian economy. The rest of the world should be seeking to be useful and supportive. The creative power unleashed by co-operation could be awesome.

To those who say it would never work, I ask "Has war?"

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".