2008 Woodie Awards
Repeating past mistakes in Iran: Dispelling the myths of nuclear weapons
Xi Chen
Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Opinions
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As we approach the four year anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, history appears to be repeating itself as our government heads towards confrontation with another axis of evil. Somehow in the span of four years, the United States has managed to create more animosity towards our nation than it did in half a century of mismanagement and scandal in the Middle East. The most frightening aspect of this current scenario is that our enlightened elected leaders are now considering direct military action against Iran. At least in the past, the United States has been relegated to aiming Iraq's chemical weapons at Iranian soldiers in place of actual combat.
Iraq's predominantly Shi'ah neighbor has been trying to acquire nuclear technology since the late 1970's. United Nations economic sanctions have been imposed due to recent nuclear developments in Iran, a harrowing reminder of the unspoken genocide in Iraq. Now with the additional claim that the Iranian government is supplying arms to Iraqi insurgents, the current administration seems to be setting the familiar stage for military action. Somehow, with around half of the nation's military capacity engaged in Iraq, certain people still believe in settling the Iran dispute with armed conflict. Somehow, these certain individuals are convinced that if enough people die, their goals will be achieved.
Surpassing even the lowest expectations for the leader of the free world, President George W. Bush has failed to consider the events in Iraq before brandishing his reckless strategy towards Iran. The baseless war in Iraq has resulted in the deaths of at least 50,000 people. Even now, no one knows exactly how many civilians have died due to the virtual state of anarchy present in some areas of Iraq. This figure does not include the 3,000 men and women of the military who have died for the decisions made by the select few. Yet none of this seems to affect the president of the United States or the people around him. How would these people respond to the thousands of children that have died in Iraq? How will these people respond to the thousands that will die if Iran is attacked?
Iraq's predominantly Shi'ah neighbor has been trying to acquire nuclear technology since the late 1970's. United Nations economic sanctions have been imposed due to recent nuclear developments in Iran, a harrowing reminder of the unspoken genocide in Iraq. Now with the additional claim that the Iranian government is supplying arms to Iraqi insurgents, the current administration seems to be setting the familiar stage for military action. Somehow, with around half of the nation's military capacity engaged in Iraq, certain people still believe in settling the Iran dispute with armed conflict. Somehow, these certain individuals are convinced that if enough people die, their goals will be achieved.
Surpassing even the lowest expectations for the leader of the free world, President George W. Bush has failed to consider the events in Iraq before brandishing his reckless strategy towards Iran. The baseless war in Iraq has resulted in the deaths of at least 50,000 people. Even now, no one knows exactly how many civilians have died due to the virtual state of anarchy present in some areas of Iraq. This figure does not include the 3,000 men and women of the military who have died for the decisions made by the select few. Yet none of this seems to affect the president of the United States or the people around him. How would these people respond to the thousands of children that have died in Iraq? How will these people respond to the thousands that will die if Iran is attacked?
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