A cataclysmic concern has been dominating both the minds of leaders and the airtime of media in recent months. Politicians and pundits have bombarded us with assessments, statements and catch phrases.
But through all the rhetoric, a key question is yet to be answered: Is the United States truly committed to preventing Iran from reaching nuclear weapon capabilities?
The answer is unfortunately unclear for we hear contradictory tones from Washington. On some days officials defiantly state “no option is off the table” or call for sanctions, using words like “tougher” and “crippling” to emphasize their intents.
On other days, we hear the Obama Administration make reference to “containment,” an alarming word that implies the U.S. will not or cannot prevent Iran from its path to the bomb.
Through all this, one major element has been missing from President Obama’s rhetoric – a clear declaration that the United States is determined to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The lingering question is whether this absence points to poor communication, or perhaps to a lack of American vision in solving the Iranian time bomb.
After the U.N. passed sanctions last week against Iran, the Obama Administration celebrated with cries of victory. However, we once again heard no clear announcement that the U.S. is determined to keep Iran from going nuclear.
While sanctions are certainly important, we have yet to see whether the latest round is an isolated victory with no clear end goal, or whether it fits into a larger American strategy of determination in stopping Iran from attaining the bomb.
If the latter is true, then why did Obama not accompany the resolution with a strong statement declaring his intention to prevent Iran from reaching nuclear capabilities? We are led to wonder whether the recent U.S.-led U.N. sanctions package is a hollow promise without real expectations of achieving this goal.
Could it simply have been a method to better prepare for some future commission that is tasked with inquiring why the US and the world failed to stop Iran and why a strike back against Tehran following an Iranian attack was legitimate?
Iran is at a nuclear crossroads and the world absolutely cannot adopt a policy of containment. With apocalyptic leaders who have voiced clear deadly and vicious intentions against the West, Iran must be stopped from attaining nuclear capabilities. An evil regime with violent intentions must never gain access to such devastating weapons.
Once in a generation, a radical anti-democratic regime arises that builds itself up on a megalomaniac vision at the cost of other nations and countries.
Such was the case with the German Nazi regime during the 1930s, which leads us to Iran in the current decade.
On the opposite side of the playing field, one can find examples of world leadership, especially the leadership of those that have been given the unique challenge and opportunity by God to be on guard, in order to save, not only their own country but the entire world.
When leaders failed at this task in the past, we found ourselves in the midst of bloody wars that lasted for years and changed the face of history. These brought forth the development and use of new weapons of mass destruction.
The opportunity, and challenge, has now been stowed upon Obama to be on guard. During his time in office, the world will have to decide what the nuclear destiny of the world’s most dangerous country, Iran, will be.
The cement on the Iranian well must be emplaced before drilling, and prior to that we all hope to hear the President say the inevitable statement: Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons!
If the Iranian nuclear oil well produces a bomb, the result won’t stop with environmental contamination and the death of hundreds of animals. It will end with the death of hundreds of thousands of human beings in addition to a disastrous radioactive contamination.
The road from here is clear: the U.S. can either stop Iran through preventive measures or it can wait until the regime has passed the nuclear threshold. At that point, the only protection against potential mass catastrophe would be a policy of containment, a clearly unacceptable policy.
The best defense is always a proactive one, not reactive. As the famous Arabic proverb says, “Before he gets you for dinner, have him for lunch”.
Fortunately, Iran can still be stopped, it is not too late. Obama should step up and provide the strong leadership needed to stop Iran. The day has come for the leader of the free world to finally state unequivocally that he is determined and ready to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Avi Dichter is a member of the Israeli Knesset and former director of Shin Bet and minister of public security.
