Thinking Critically about Iran
This topic is a very complicated one. Lets assume for a moment, we don’t know anything truthful about Iran; Whether or not it’s Shiite, whether or not they are supplying groups in Iraq with munitions and training, and whether or not they are “evil” as Bush would call them. Lets just look at Iran, for a moment, as a country with its own situation. If you were a 2nd tier nation, and you wanted to become one of the “Great Powers”, what would you do, or be willing to do, to achieve that? In your general geographic area, who are you most threatened by? What are your main sources of income? Are there certain domestic troubles or ideologies that are pushing you in one direction or the other?
The first and most important goal for any given country, is its need to be independent. If your borders are being threatened, you, as a country, would do as you deem necessary to preserve those borders. In Iran’s case, not only do you have Israel in your backyard which “may or may not have nukes” as they like to say, but now you have a Super Power on your doorstep as well. That would make any country with whom you have poor relations with start to become very defensive, and in a sort of survival mode. Does becoming a nuclear power preserve your borders? No country that has nuclear capabilities has been fully conquered, however there is a little asterisk there. India and Pakistan (both of them nuclear powers) have been at a standoff for years over Kashmir, and have had skirmishes.
Iran’s main source of income is oil. With gas prices reaching almost $100 a barrel, Iran’s profits are skyrocketing. Iran’s infrastructure is in poor shape though, and they could be profiting a lot more from it. Assuming for a moment their nuclear ambitions are completely civilian, having nuclear plants provide most of your domestic supply needs would allow you to export even more oil, and thus more money. A country can’t live off of oil alone forever, as we all know, so having a more diversified economy is beneficial to any nation.
To be able to tackle the Iran problem in a mature way, we must be able to see the other side of the story, to understand what the other side could be thinking. This piece is in no way intended to be an appeal to be more sympathetic to the regime, but is intended to make you think of other possibilities, and to make better arguments either for, or against, Iran.
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