Domestic This - Horace Mann School

International
the Iraq War
the threat of Iranian nuclear
community’s fatal blunder
be devastating to any chance of reversing
the tide of mounting Iranian influence
that is leading much of the Middle East
in a radical direction. Iran would become
an imposing superpower with nuclear
weapons in its hands.
The current policy towards Iran is to
attempt to isolate the country with severe
economic sanctions. The United States
and Europe have led economic sanctions
which forbid countries and companies
from selling nearly all goods and services
to Iran and from dealing with Iranian
businesses, banks, or other financial institutions.
Russia, China, and a handful
of left-leaning nations have refused to
honor these sanctions, with Russia being
responsible for selling Iran nuclear power
technology used to operate its enrichment
activities.
Will sanctions work? Iran has indicated
some willingness to reopen discussions
about its nuclear program, but has
done so before, primarily to delay further
action by the West, and there is little indication
that sanctions will compel Iran
to abandon its nuclear ambitions. The
general record of sanctions, as it happens,
is not promising. Sanctions have proven
ineffective when they are not enforced by
all countries.
Opposing the iron-fisted control of
the radical clerics, President Ahmadinejad,
and the Revolutionary Guard forces
that keep them in power is a moderate
and widely popular democratic movement
spearheaded by leaders like Akbar
Hashemi Rafsanjani. The 2009 Iranian
presidential elections, which were most
certainly fixed, ignited widespread, violent
demonstrations throughout the
main urban centers fueled by a hatred of
the radical government and longing for
true democracy. It was widely believed
that Iran was on the verge of a second
civil war, one that would remove the
radical clerics and Ahmadinejad from
power. The Revolutionary Guard, however,
crushed the rebellion and swiftly
imprisoned, tortured, and, in many cases,
executed its moderate leaders.
Notwithstanding the military repression
of democratic movements in Iran,
there is reason to believe that Iran will
follow a historically common pattern.
The democratic forces might someday
change the direction of the country. Russia,
China, and Eastern European countries
are all states which have transitioned
towards market-based economies and
more democratic political systems, albeit
ones that do not match the democratic
principles of Western nations. Yet, given
the force of Iran’s army and the repression
of liberties and democratic ideas by the
Revolutionary Guard and the clerics, any
such ideological evolution might take decades
or even centuries to unfold. Unfortunately,
when it comes to Iran, we have
immediate problems to resolve.
Iran has already tested advanced
missiles, is capable of delivering weapons
across borders, and appears to be
developing nuclear armaments. With the
prospect of nuclear weapons in the hands
of a radical Iran looming in the foreseeable
future, it is incontestable that the
world must consider the employment of
military force to halt such a development.
Allowing the radical Iranian regime to
stockpile nuclear weapons is not a viable
option. HMR
Iran has refused to cooperate
with the International Atomic
Energy Agency, an international
body monitoring
nuclear power, since 2008
smh
2010 United Nations
Resolution 1929 harshens
economic and diplomatic
sanctions on Iran
globalresearcher
2009 Presidential elections
in Iran, which were
likely manipulated, cause
controversy
zimbabwemission
The Horace Mann Review | Issue 4 15