My Take | A nuclear-armed Iran won’t be the end of the world
No one wants nuclear proliferation but that may be the only realistic restraint against an increasingly rogue Israel
Outside the capitals of a few diehard Western state supporters of Israel, the whole world now realises the nuclear-armed state has gone rogue. If you think Russia is bad, well, Israel may be worse.
It’s now possibly the most dangerous and destabilising country in the world, not least because it is almost unconditionally supported by the world’s sole superpower, which has shown zero ability to restrain its reckless behaviour. The United States has even allowed itself to be dragged into a regional war it cannot possibly want.
If there is any need to certify the true state of global opinion about all that, the latest vote in the UN General Assembly – and several ones before it – should make that clear. Last month, an overwhelming 124 votes were in favour of a resolution demanding an end to the unlawful Israeli presence in occupied Palestinian territories, with 14 against, and 43 abstentions. “Unlawful” is too polite. The G-word, you know that one, may be more appropriate.
That was the real international community speaking out loud and clear, not the fictitious one made up of the United States and a handful of its allies.
As Washington prepares for a regional war on behalf of Israel, there are reports that Russia is ready to move in to support Iran, and also that contrary to previous reports, Iran may be at the threshold of going nuclear.
If true, most people in the Western world will be alarmed by both developments. But given the extent of the regional, if not global danger presented by Israel and the US, a nuclear Iran – and the deterrent it offers – may be the least bad option for the rest of the world.
