Posted by
arandomguy on Thursday, December 21, 2006 9:55:31 PM
This really isn't a surprise. The five permanent members of the US Security Council, plus Germany, have been in discussions lately over Iranian sanctions. Some, like the US and Great Britain want to impose sanctions on Iran to halt the development of their nuclear weapons programs, and punish them for defying UN resolutions to cease and desist.
Other nations, like China and Russia who get some degree of economic gain by continuing ties with Iran, are less willing to support sanctions because they feel that it is in their national self interest not to do so. The vote was supposed to be scheduled for today, but it has been pushed back until Saturday, presumably so more details can be worked out of the draft.
The sanctions would prevent any UN member nation from sending any materials relating to nuclear technology to the rogue state. Here is what Russian envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin had to say. "I don't think there is going to be a vote tomorrow. Maybe Saturday, yes. But clearly we will need tomorrow for further thinking and maybe further decisions."
I've spoken about my problems with Russia and China frequently on this blog, and there is no need to delve deeper into my dislike of the two nations here. Suffice to say that if sanctions are not implemented on Iran in the near future, tough and "meaningful" sanctions that cripple the entire country, Iran will develop a nuclear bomb, and they will use it against Israel or the United States.
It is extremely important that the politicians get this through their thick skulls, or they will have to face a nuclear Iran in the next couple of years. The problem is, Iran won't remain nuclear for very long. They will USE their nuclear arsenal against somebody, causing another holocaust and another world war.
Is this really what we want? Tough and meaningful sanctions - even if they must be imposed unilaterally - could go a long way to preventing another global conflict, this one with nuclear weapons.