Iran and the Bomb: The Abdication of International Responsibility
Author: Thérèse Delpech
Publisher: Hurst, 2006
The international community has received Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons with great concern since it perceives that such acquisition will lead to dangerous instability in the Gulf region and beyond. There is concern that some countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey may be tempted to match Iran at least by acquiring similar nuclear fuel production technologies, while other powers may be tempted to strike militarily at Iran.
Thérèse Delpech argues that the chances of stopping Iran in its race to acquire the nuclear bomb through diplomacy are slim: too many opportunities have been missed and too much time has been lost. To make things worse, the leader who emerged from the Iranian presidential elections in 2005 – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – is an ultra-conservative, former member of the Iranian secret service who does not consider compromise an option. After he took office began a period of deliberate confrontation, which was not envisaged by the Europeans, the Americans or a large majority of Iranians themselves. Yet, Delpech notes that this confrontation does not exclude discussion. If Iran can combine the acquisition of the bomb and lengthy talks with the Europeans, Russians or Chinese with impunity on the international stage, this will naturally be its preferred option.
