Let Israel Handle the Iranians

Jessica McBride today commented on Ahmadinejad's remarks about the Holocaust and again, she emphasized increasing pressure for the U.S. to act. I feel a response is in order.

While I agree with McBride's argument that the media needs to get behind Bush so as to show potential enemies the resolve of this great nation, I disagree again with the notion that the US needs to take immediate action in Iran. Part of my reasoning requires a healthy understanding of US-Irani relations over the past 100 years, but I'll spare you the academia (for now). Instead, let's observe the current operating conditions.

What we see with Iran, much more than we did with Iraq, is an outraged international community. And while I will defend to the death US involvement in Iraq, I cannot support outright US invasion of Iran. The social, political, historical and economic situations of Iran and Iraq differ too vastly. Because the international community has recognized the Irani threat, maybe it's time someone else stepped up to the plate. I nominate Israel.

To be sure, the Israeli government has a history of defending its right to exist. In fact, it has already led successful pre-emptive strikes of its own (see: Osirak nuclear facility near Baghdad, 1981). Let the Israelis handle this one, as they are the ones being threatened and they are equipped to deal with the problem. According to Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, they seem to be up to the challenge. “Thank God Israel has the means at its disposal to bring about the downfall of this extremist regime in Iran. There will be no second ‘final solution’,” he said.

Besides, aside from the international response to this madness, Iran has another problem with Russia. Russia has been embarrassed by Ahmadinejad's outrageous comments, and will move forward with caution when dealing with Iran. Which is to say, they may think twice about actually making good on the recent arms deal.

As Ahmadinejad continues to move his country into isolation, in terms of support, he thrusts it and his madness into the international spotlight. Regime change in Iran has been predicted for a long, long time. It seems as though one benefit of the current president is that he's speeding up the process. However, let us not forget that the Iranian people did not freely elect this man and, as such, he does not represent the will of the people.

And more pressingly, let us hope that those Iranis who are pushing for a democracy will hear the international outcry and realize that the time is ripe for revolution. The best solution for Iran is to allow its people to determine their own fate, and unlike Iraq, that cannot be done with foreign occupation.