RENEWING IRAN'S REVOLUTION
When Ahmadinejad won the Iranian presidency in
June 2005, he surprised many people; after all, his radical
views were contrary to the spirit of reform that had taken
root since elections in 1997. In those elections, Iranians
voted for candidates who promised less religious dogma and
more human rights, signaling disillusionment with the revolution
of 1979 that toppled the country's monarch and created an
Islamic theocracy.
But Ahmadinejad's victory silenced democratic reform. "Thanks
to the blood of the martyrs," he said, "a new
Islamic revolution has arisen," which "will soon
reach the entire world." To accomplish his goal, Ahmadinejad
pursues three foreign policy objectives: funding Islamic
terrorism, developing nuclear weapons, and destroying the
State of Israel.
EXPORTING REVOLUTION
In 1982, Iran created Hezbollah to export the Islamic revolution
to southern Lebanon. Strengthened by Iranian money, weapons,
and military training, Hezbollah terrorists attacked Israel
last July. They launched more than 4,000 missiles, killing
41 Israeli civilians and 159 soldiers. Although Israel's
defense forces weakend Hezbollah, Iran's terrorist proxy
remains an extreme danger to America's interests and Israel's
existence.
NUCLEAR THREAT
A more serious existential threat, however, comes from Iran's
quest for nuclear weapons. U.S. officials doubt Iran's claims
that its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes:
"Iran is determined to build nuclear weapons,"
observed one U.S. intelligence officer. The United Nations
Security Council agreed and imposed economic sanctions on
Iran. Unbowed, President Ahmadinejad declared, "By
God's grace, our powerful nation will continue its path."
INCITING GENOCIDE
Ahmadinejad's defiance is rooted in religious conviction.
"He believes the world is heading for a clash of civilizations...and
he's convinced Islam can and will win," writes Amir
Taheri, an Iranian journalist. The first battleground is
in Israel, says the Iranian president, where the World of
Arrogance has built a stronghold in the heart of the Islamic
world. For him, the Israeli-Palestinian dispute is not about
statehood, borders, or security; it's about Islam's battle
against non-believers. Seen in this context, Ahmadinejad
believes "there is only one solution to the Middle
East problem; namely the annihiliation and destruction of
the Jewish state."
ISRAEL'S RESPONSE
If the Holocaust has taught Jews to respond seriously
to any threat, then how much more seroiusly should
Israel respond to this threat, given Ahmadinejad's
radical theology and his quest for weapons of mass destruction?
"We hope the world will act firmly to block the danger
in time," says Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert.
But if its allies fail to act, says Major General (Reserves)
Yaakov Amidror, Israel could take unilateral military action
in self-defense: a preemptive strike against Iran's nuclear
facilities.
