Iran or Pakistan; Who's the Elephant in the Room

Tehran’s Nuclear Aims or Islamabad an Existing Thermo Nuclear Threat

Oct 23, 2008

The latent crisis of Democracy's collapse, Islamic fundamentalism & fiscal failure in an atomic Pakistan is ignored as America politicizes Iranian meeting preconditions.

Are the nuclear desires of oil rich, highly educated Persians, more dangerous than the needs of cash strapped, Bedouin fundamentalists in Pakistan that already have nuclear bombs? The American political world is frenzied about the preconditions for negotiating with Iran over its nuclear intentions. But is the West missing a far more important and dangerous problem? Is she politically negating a potentially nation changing dilemma, trigger by the failure of the next Wall Street bank?

Iran

Joby Warrick and Peter Slevin from the Washington Post wrote on 2/15/04, “nuclear weapons designs obtained by Libya [came] through a Pakistani smuggling network….” Pakistan has nuclear technology and sold it, she has ballistic missiles capable of delivering the weapons, she has years of uranium enrichment experience and she has 30-50 multi-megaton nuclear bombs in her arsenal – Iran has none of this!

Richard Mullen wrote in Defense Today, Pakistan more a proliferation threat than Iran; “The US has focused on Iran's nuclear program…to the point of obsession. Iran is not as immediate a danger for nuclear proliferation as Pakistan.”

Nuclear Salesmen

Saeed Shah reported in The Independent on June 4th 2008 that the CIA described Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan as "…at least as dangerous as Osama bin Laden and the ‘merchant of menace’.” The founder of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, characterized as a Dr. Strangelove figure, is revered in Pakistan as the “father of the bomb.”

However, Khan is notorious for having developing the world’s most prolific nuclear technology smuggling operation. According to The Independent, “Dr Khan admitted helping Libya and Iran… establish secret nuclear weapons programs…." Shah continues, “A recent book…claims that the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was involved in [a] barter arrangement…swapping [North Korean] missile systems for Pakistan's uranium technology.”

Pakistan

Money - As the financial crisis races across the globe, Pakistan walks a delicate wire between separation anarchy and pseudo-democracy. Martin Sieff of UPI wrote on October 21st, “the global financial crisis is close to knocking out its most important and potentially most dangerous victim yet: Pakistan….”

Democracy – Nicholas Kristof, of the New York Times wrote a scathing essay on Pakistan’s democracy in April 07. “If there were a form of government that produced autocrats who sponsored terrorism, stole millions of dollars, impoverished their citizens…tortured dissidents and…minorities, then we would all condemn it. Except in South Asia such a system is called democracy.”

Problem - With a population larger than Russia - Pakistan is “…the world's only Muslim nuclear power.” Boosted by popular support, Pakistani democracy has allowed fundamentalism to permeate society. Sieff reports, “…military analyst William Lind has warned…non-state forces…benefit from undermining the structures…and metastasize rapidly if a state…collapses. The Taliban…aided by al-Qaida, have stepped up their guerrilla operations against the Pakistani army and police. On top of all this, Pakistan is now on the verge of default….”

Danger – Islamists reign free in vast parts of Pakistan supported by poor, uneducated and destitute citizens as intellectuals, scientists and politicians willingly sell nuclear technology. Without quick intervention the possible outcomes are dangerous.

The copyright of the article Iran or Pakistan; Who's the Elephant in the Room in US Foreign Affairs is owned by Frank W. Hardy. Permission to republish Iran or Pakistan; Who's the Elephant in the Room in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.