Waiting4oblivion Parliament Options

[Wolfie]

The Rues as stated in the last thread:

Right, a few rules before we start this time. No flaming. No intolerance of anybody else's viewpoint. No deciding you don't like the topic, and trying to tell people what they can discuss. This goes for everybody from now on.

Other than that, enjoy your discussion

[Neela]

Having them have nuclear power for energy isn't the problem. The problem is can they be trusted not to make nuclear weapons? Iran has a leadership that denies that Israel as a state even exists. Its the EU and Israel that have much more to worry about in truth as Iran doesn't have missile capable of hitting the US. Though that doesn't mean that we wouldn't be drawn into a very difficult choice should they choose to use them.

The EU has offered to enrich power producing grade uranium for them so that they can have a nuclear power plant. However, this is clearly not what they want.

As someone who grew up during the final years of the cold war... I can tell you that the fear of a nuclear war is much less now then it was then, but I can see all the fears returning very quickly should some fanatic get his own little red button all to himself.

[stargelman]

Having them have nuclear power for energy isn't the problem.  The problem is can they be trusted not to make nuclear weapons?  Iran has a leadership that denies that Israel as a state even exists.  Its the EU and Israel that have much more to worry about in truth as Iran doesn't have missile capable of hitting the US.  Though that doesn't mean that we wouldn't be drawn into a very difficult choice should they choose to use them. 

I think it's safe to say this won't be happening.

In the early 80s, Israel was convinced that Iraq tried to develop nuclear weapons at a facility in Osiraq. Supposedly, depending on differing estimates, they were still either 1-2 or 5-10 years away from a working prototype. The facility was declared as a nuclear power plant. It was about to go "hot", that is, was about to be activated.

From this website:

"At 15:55 on 07 June 1981, the first F-15 and F-16's roared off the runway from Etzion Air Force Base in the south. Israeli air force planes flew over Jordanian, Saudi, and Iraqi airspace After a tense but uneventful low-level navigation route, the fighters reached their target. They popped up at 17:35 and quickly identified the dome gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight. Iraqi defenses were caught by surprise and opened fire too late. In one minute and twenty seconds, the reactor lay in ruins."

I guess it's safe to say that if they didn't want Iraq to have this kind of weapons capability, Iran is probably the last country they'd want to have it. They'll do what they think is necessary, with all means available to them. And as much as I might disagree with many policies of the Israeli government, it'd probably be for the best. With someone like Ahmadinejad at the helm, such weapons would definitely be in the wrong hands. I do think most of what he said lately was pure populism, but ... who knows.

Besides, I think nobody should have such weapons, but that's a different matter altogether.