1938 Update from Reuters, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
BERLIN (Reuters) - EU powers began circulating a draft resolution on Wednesday for a February 2 meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog asking it to report Iran to the Security Council, but Russia was seeking moves that stopped short of a formal referral.The EU draft resolution drew scorn from Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency will hold an emergency meeting that day on Iran's nuclear work at the request of European Union powers, an IAEA spokesman said.
France, Britain, Germany and the United States are expected to push to have Tehran referred to the U.N. Security Council after it resumed research that could be used for generating electricity or making atomic bombs.
But EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said European states were considering a Russian proposal that could delay a formal referral of Iran to the council....
The United States and EU said they saw no point in further talks with Iran and it was time for the Security Council to tackle the issue, ratcheting up diplomatic pressure on Tehran and opening the door to eventual sanctions.
Both Russia and China must be made aware of the gravity of the situation and the depth of our resolve...that essentially, they must choose between Iran and the West.
If only Europe had some spine to begin with, their poker face might just convince. Instead, mark my words, some compromise will be reached allowing Iran to proceed with its nefarious plans.
God help this planet of ours.
I have to wonder whether Russia and China have reached the conclusion that allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons benefits them in some way. That is the only explanation I can think of for their decision to block any sanctions against Iran. I can't imagine what that benefit might be. Both countries are fighting Islamic-inspired independence movements and Russia in particular has been the target of Islamic-inspired mass murders. I would think the prospect of allowing a radical, genocidal regime that supports terrorist movements around the world to have nuclear weapons would give Russia and China pause. But obviously, they must not sense any danger. Otherwise, they would be much more aggressive in trying to stop Iran.
HFH,
My sense is that both countries are consumed by their their great-power rivalry with America and therefore view the Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons through a short-sighted prism...that whatever consumes and dissipates American energies is a good thing. We have circumstantial evidence of covert Chinese assistance to the Taliban, an entity that once supported Muslim separatists in 'East Turkistan' and was clearly antithetical to Chinese national interests. But all that apparently changed after the US invasion of Afghanistan.
Then there is the economic factor to consider. China's appetite for oil is becoming voracious. Recent energy deals in Africa and South America indicates an aggressive attempt by the Chinese to solidify future supplies and has the US gov't very concerned about being squeezed out of the energy market. Iran is a supplier of oil for the Chinese and an important customer for both Chinese and Russian military hardware.
It's all very irresposible and short-sighted.
HFH and Cornelius:
Superpower envy is doubtless part of the equation, but for the Chinese in particular, Iran is a significant supplier of oil and a great potential market for cheaply produced goods, what with its huge population and young demographic. And, besides, in the jihaddists' greater order of things, China is fairly low on the list of targets, though one wonders when the usual outraged parties are going to start raising a stink over whatever territory the Chinese took back from Caliphate control (and surely there must be some).
Charles Krauthammer, of all people, yesterday wrote an essay warning of fantatical Islamists.
Just what is an Islamist? A person who operates Islam? I'd agree with that, so long as we all understand the operations Islam requires.
And shouldn't it be required that if you're gonna qualify the term witih fanatical that it first be demonstrated that one can adhere to a fantatical ideology and not be fanatical?
MORE MOSLEMS MORE ISLAM MORE DEPRAVITY MORE HATE MORE MURDER MORE
Ever since we got blown away on 9/11, we've been gingerly walking on eggshells, wringing our hands, ever at ready to drop to our knees and grab for zippers and apologize to Moslems.
One of the many ways we apologize to them is to call them everything but what they are: Moslems.
Here's a start: Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, you are a Moslem. And you should be ashamed of yourself.
Cornelius and Waterdragon52,
I think you both make excellent points. Russia and China must believe that the short-term benefits of dealing with Iran outweigh the long-term risks. I also have to wonder whether Russia and China themselves are trying to wring some concessions out of the U.S. in exchange for not blocking sanctions. In any case, I think this is a textbook example of the structural failings of the UN and why it is institutionally incapable of responding to world crises.
By the way,
This is off-topic, but I just saw the following article on the BBCNews website. Just another example of the religion of peace and tolerance in action:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4628168.stm
EU3 -- Like the three wise monkeys, except different... Treacherous. Weak. Foolish. It goes something like this:
Hear no evil, unless it makes Americans look bad...
See no evil, unless it's something done by Americans...
Speak no evil, unless you have something very bad to say about America...
Why would the Iranians act in any other manner? This entire charade has been a stalling tactic on the part of Iran, a mechanism designed by them and their European enablers to exploit the chasm which Germany and France have caused in the "transatlantic alliance", a way for the fantasist filth and wobble-kneed weaklings in Europe to stick it in America's eye, and a way to paper over Europe's complete inability to contend with real existential threats...
The time for "let's pretend" is rapidly drawing to a close, children... At least I am grateful that craven Eurocowardice has encouraged this spider Iran into speaking clearly about the intentions of the only nation on earth ruled by the Shiite flavor of Islam... And these are the guys we're helping take over Iraq... These are the guys we think are a better flavor than the Sunni Islam of Osama Bin Laden? I guess it might be so... after all, their proxy attacks and murders of Americans have been far more moderate than Saudi's (Sunni) Frankenstein UBL...
So why should we worry? I take it all back... The Iranians are moderate Muslims after all! Their record proves it!
Looks like Syria has endorsed Iran's bid to get nukes. Maybe time for US to do the converse of a mutual-defence pact - unlike, say Syria stating that it would go to the defense of Iran, we should state that if we get into war with Iran, we'll automatically be at war with Syria