Background: Does Obama team see nuclear arms race as catalyst for nuclear
weapons free Middle East?

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 1 March 2015

Does the Obama team see nuclear arms race as catalyst for nuclear weapons
free Middle East?

Already early in his first administration, President Obama cited a nuclear
weapons free Middle East as a key goal.

The efficacy of such an arrangement wasn’t considered an issue. The
question was instead how to achieve the historic event of the signing of an
international agreement for a nuclear weapons free Middle East.

Of all the nations in region, Israel stands out as the country preventing
this photo opportunity. That’s because Israel simply can’t afford to risk
it’s survival on a piece of paper – no matter how impressive the signing
ceremony. (Others are happy to sign and cheat).

Which brings us to the nuclear arms race in the region that the pending Iran
deal will launch.

Is it possibly that the Obama team cynically believes that a nuclear arms
race will force Israel, out of sheer desperation, to agree to a nuclear
weapons free Middle East treaty regardless of its efficacy or, frankly
speaking, Israel’s need for a deterrent that serves as the ultimate “leveler
of the playing field” in the event of a catastrophic attack by combined
forces so great that no conventional response is relevant?

This might explain why the Obama team typically doesn’t even go to the
trouble of addressing the concerns raised about the nuclear arms race that
the Iran deal will precipitate.

So what’s left if they don’t care?

Back to the obvious:

The Iranian leadership professes to believe, as “Twelver Shiites”, that
incinerating Israel with nuclear weapons – even if followed up by the
incineration of Iran – would be a positive thing because the apocalyptic
result would bring the return of the ” Hidden Imam”.
a. The consequence of a nuclear Iran is NOT that the West is deterred from
bringing the Iranian regime down – or that the region enters a nuclear arms
race – as bad as that is. The consequence is a potential apocalypse.
b. It’s a dangerous exercise in theological hegemony to insist that Twelvers
aren’t true believers.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il