The Third World War – Cancelled

Does the Bush Administration have some explaining to do, after America’s combined intelligence services concluded that Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been halted since 2003? According to this op-ed article from Germany’s Frankfurter Rundschau, ‘Bush’s October speech about the danger of a Third World War was at the very least, reckless. … Then it also follows that the plan to install a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic – which also carried an emergency stamp – was not only rationally unjustifiable, but ideologically motivated.

“It’s been clear all along that Iran had put its nuclear weapons program on ice. Can we seriously imagine that lord rulers George W. Bush and Richard Cheney didn’t know the slightest thing about it? … the Bush Administration owes its European allies an explanation.”

By Karl Grobe

Translated By Julian Jacob

December 4, 2007

Germany – Frankfurter Rundschau – Original Article (German)

With two sentences, the united spy agencies of the United States have annulled Washington’s Iran policy. First: The Teheran regime stopped developing nuclear weapons in 2003; that is four years ago. Secondly: The Iranian leadership decided to do this on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis.

The report has spent at least a year in one of Washington’s secret drawer. And it’s been clear all along that Iran had put its nuclear weapons program on ice. Can we seriously imagine that lord rulers George W. Bush and Richard Cheney didn’t know the slightest thing about it?

If they did know, then Bush’s October speech about the danger of a Third World War was at the very least, reckless. Then it also follows that the plan to install a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic – which also carried an emergency stamp – was not only rationally unjustifiable, but ideologically motivated. And this ideological cocktail, in addition to the reasons given, had two additional ingredients: The intent to keep the Russians on the straight and narrow and a wish to dismantle bad old Europe and replace it with a good new one.

Perhaps the reference to Teheran was seen as a means to that end. But whether these policies were based on a lack of knowledge – which amounts in the end to recklessness – or whether they were taken against better judgment, is therefore hypothetical. But whatever the case, the Bush Administration owes its European allies an explanation – and not the kind of explanation Bush gave on Tuesday, claiming that his administration has been right all along.

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