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COLUMN: A nuclear reaction(Comtex Energy Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)COLLEGE PARK, Md., Apr 13, 2006 (The Diamondback, U-WIRE via COMTEX) --We can bomb the world into pieces, but we can't bomb it into peace." Perhaps someone should tell that to the Bush administration, which seems to think military action in Iran will help it reach its policy goals. In the last year, students have protested the Iraq war and unfair immigration legislation. It looks as if they might soon have another reason to protest - a war in Iran. I'm sure you've heard the buzz about the plans for a major air attack on Iran. President Bush is, of course, calling this "wild speculation" - but then again, this is coming from the man who said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and the response to Hurricane Katrina was "excellent." Other American officials are calling this plan for an attack nothing more than a contingency plan. But this is more. According to Seymour Hersh's recent article in The New Yorker, this plan is already at the operational stage, as per the wishes of President Bush. In fact, the U. S. has already been flying "simulated nuclear-weapon delivery missions" over the Arabian Sea since last summer, and is now preparing to test a 700-ton nuclear bunker-busting bomb. Yes, nuclear. The administration is not willing to remove the nuclear option from the "contingency plan" because conventional weapons would not guarantee the full destruction of concrete-enforced bunkers, which are said to hold Iran's thousands of centrifuges and laboratories. Clearly, these politicians don't realize there is more to a nuclear attack than an underground explosion. Think: Mass casualties, fall out, mushroom clouds and long-term effects of low-level radiation. Unfortunately, this air attack is practically inevitable. Even if Iran announces it has seized all uranium enrichment activity with no plans to continue, Bush will not believe it. According to Hersh, Bush will always believe Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to be the "next Hitler" and will not rest until a regime change takes place. With the Iranian economy as unhealthy as it is, Ahmadinejad is in bad shape politically. An American attack would be to his popularity what Sept. 11 was to Bush's - a bloody miracle. Frankly, the possibility of an American attack will strengthen the Iranian belief that nuclear weapons are needed. The February riots related to the image of Muhammed running in newspaper cartoons made it obvious how explosive the anti-Western and anti-American sentiment is within the Muslim population. And an attack could turn every last Iranian, even those who may now feel no hostility to America, against us. Consequences could be enormous. Iran cannot be expected to sit quietly without striking back. A drawn-out military conflict would practically be guaranteed. In the case of Iran, there is no such thing as a "military solution." A "military option," perhaps, but it would most likely be disastrous. Middle East relations would get very messy, to say the least. Iran has "close ties to the leading Shiite parties in Iraq," making Iraq much more vulnerable to attacks from Iran or Shiite militias. Iran might also attack oil fields in other countries, such as Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, sending the Middle East and the world's oil supply into a tailspin. The Bush administration has already proven that it is better at starting wars than finishing them, so it needs to think twice before starting a another one. Bush needs to handle the situation diplomatically, which is the only way to really solve this problem without creating a bigger one. In fact, it would be ridiculous to attack anytime soon, because American intelligence estimates that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons for another eight to 10 years. Three years ago, Bush asked the American people to trust him. Look at the situation in Iraq now and everything we have learned in the time since then. Are you really willing to take that leap of faith again? Anika Fontaine is a junior marketing major. She can be reached at [email protected]. |