So what’s one of the key underlying issues in the growing controversy — and crisis — over Iran’s resumed nuclear program?
An article in Corriere Della Serra in part says this:
For the West, two crucial issues increasingly accompany discussions of how to fight Islamic terrorism and address apprehension over new attacks. What is to be done with Iran, now that it appears to be working flat out for the nuclear option? And more generally, is there or is there not a moderate form of Islam that seeks a dialogue which will isolate the killers? On the first point, the Tehran’s ruling elite is doing its utmost to prolong the confusion. A breakdown of talks with the Europeans looks imminent, but has yet to take place. But uncertainty over the amount of time required for Iran to equip itself with offensive atomic weapons is growing.
The West’s uncertainty is well-founded, but this should not paralyze us, especially after the electoral victory of the hawkish [Iranian President] Mahmud Ahmadinejad. What is actually at stake in the nuclear face-off with Tehran, even though the fact is often overlooked, is the vital security of the state of Israel. Now then, the West can criticize the Israeli government. It can press for Jerusalem to follow its upcoming withdrawal from Gaza with moves on the West Bank, enabling the creation of a credible Palestinian state. But the liberal democracies can neither be divided nor waver over the unacceptability of physical threats to the very existence of Israel. Today during negotiations, tomorrow at the U.N., and the next day if necessary in the extreme case of the use of force, such a united front should be evident at once to the Iranians. If the entire West more effectively transmits this message than it has in the past, the chance of a compromise with Tehran may be less remote.
The piece warns that it’s a mistake to ignore the fact that there are some moderate Muslim regimes…and that the new trend seems to be not to view the present global situation as a clash of civilizations but a bit more traditionally.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.