Intelligence2 debate report: should we bomb Iran?
Lloyd Evans gives a blow-by-blow account of the latest Intelligence2 debate
Iran was in the cross hairs last Tuesday. At the Intelligence Squared debate the mellifluously worded motion, ‘It’s better to bomb Iran than risk Iran getting the bomb,’ was proposed by Dr Emanuele Ottolenghi, a distinguished Italian political scientist. He argued that letting Tehran acquire nukes would create turmoil in the Middle East — and beyond. The Persian Gulf and the Caspian Basin, which currently operate as a sort of all-night Texaco garage to the world’s economies, would fall under the spell of a dangerous anti-Western regime. If neighbouring Turkey went nuclear, proliferation might spread Greece-wards and even into the Balkans.
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Chris, Leeds
January 25th, 2008 10:26pmAhmadinejad looks to be on the way out in 2009. His sabre rattling, which has Iran sailing dangerously close to the wind, isn't particularly popular with most Iranians (except the revolutionary guard and radical students who tend to be the 'public face' of Iran in the west) nor is he particularly popular with the Ayatollahs. Bombing Iran would have the effect of causing Iranians to rally round Ahmadinejad, and keep in place a leader who is looking to develop nuclear weapons and who passes arms to insurgents in Iraq, fuelling civil conflict. Let the Iranians depose Ahmadinejad in 2009, leaving his fledgling nuclear programme on the scraphead, without inflaming the region yet further, driving up energy prices, endangering Israel and making it possible Ahmadinejad and his revolutionary guards could pass their nuclear technologies to fundementalists.
elixelx
January 29th, 2008 1:45pmDo you really really believe, Chris, that post Ahmadinejad the Iranians would just say No to a nuclear bomb (not a Nuclear programme; just a bomb!) stop with the anti-Israel rhetoric and the confrontational attitude; stop with the sponsorship of terror and become a peace-loving and supporting member of the International Community? It is a sad sad day when 80% of a British audience votes to appease a dictator!