The Possibility Of A Nuclear Iran Alarms Arabs

nytimes.com:

CAIRO �" As the West raises the pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, Arab governments, especially the small, oil-rich nations in the Persian Gulf, are growing increasingly anxious. But they are concerned not only with the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran but also with the more immediate threat that Iran will destabilize the region if the West presses too hard, according to diplomats, regional analysts and former government officials.

Read the whole story: nytimes.com

Comments

[Khirad]

From the article:

The head of a prominent research center in Dubai said that it might even be better if the West — or Israel — staged a military strike on Iran, rather than letting it emerge as a nuclear power. That kind of talk from Arabs was nearly unheard of before the revelation of the second enrichment plant, and while still rare, it reflects growing alarm.

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Can anyone with a better feel for the pulse of the Gulf states than I vouch for this sentiment being more than an isolated analyst or two? While I fully appreciate the anxiety of the Arab nations over Iran, this strikes me as selective and I have a hard time believing those very countries most vulnerable to reprisals would support, at least openly, such a strike. Sorry, but I call bellicose sensationalism on this one. The big 'if' largely excised from this article mentioned in Al Jazeera:

"If you can have a war where Iran is not going to hit back and thus destabilise the whole region, then yes, it's possible," Kahwaji says.

"But that won't happen. So they don't see it in their interests. It would of course destroy the oil fields and everything in their region."

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/iran/2008/07/200872291723553346.html

[baba2nde]

One-two-three propaganda punch. Two days ago it was "Iran's nuclear program: Crunch time" by David Harris. Next came "Majority of American Jews think the US should strike Iran: Poll" by AJC, headed by David Harris. And now comes Michael Slackman with "The possibility of A Nuclear Iran alarms Arabs" to claim that "some in the Persian Gulf region are even envisioning a military strike by the West, or Israel".

PLEASE STOP. The incessant drumbeat makes it all the more likely that someone will do something the world will regret.