by Walter Onubogu

Created on: October 11, 2009   Last Updated: October 13, 2009

First I want to call into question the notion that Iran`s nuclear ambitions are by default equivalent to a nuclear threat to the West, and then move onto why we ought to be or not ought to be concerned.

So as we know Iran harbours nuclear ambitions and hasn`t been deterred by efforts from the West (i.e UK, US, Germany, France and Israel) and levied UN sanctions to neither halt uranium enrichment or dismantle it`s nuclear program. It is true, Iran`s nuclear program (with West German and French help) started in the late 1970`s under the guise of pro-western (US-UK backed) Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, but then amid the revolutionary turmoil (of 1979) and war that followed (1980-1988) ground to a halt, and got only re-activated in the late 1980`s and early 1990`s with Russian help.

Although Iran signed onto the Nuclear Non Proliferation treaty (NPT) and signed additional security protocols (allowing for snap inspections of designated Iranian nuclear facilities by UN - International Atomic Agency `s inspectors), it has still failed to declare all its sites to the wider international public, thus raising suspicion among the West that it was bent on deceiving the UN and unwilling to comply with regulations (trying to conceal its nuclear ambitions, just within last 2 weeks a new facility at Qom was discovered).

That is all very well, if you believe that all countries that aspire to nuclear energy or nuclear weapons are treated the same way. That is not so. It is an open secret that Israel since its inception has refused to comply with any UN resolutions, let alone come forth with verifiable information about its own hidden nuclear program.

Let us not kid ourselves here, Israel enjoys the protection of America and most Western countries in one form or the other and diplomatically support it, so that is why nobody is up in arms about is Israeli`s defiance of the international community.

If Israel can develop and hide its nuclear program, and refuse to sign up to the NPT or allow UN inspections, why is that ok, and why is a double standard applied and Iran is always scolded for non compliance, and Israel is not?

I will tell you why. America and its allies deep down believe they and Israel are responsible members of the international community, and beholden to democratic and free-market practices, while Iran is not. If the pro-western Shah had remained in power, the West wouldn`t have had the slightest objection to his pursuit of a nuclear (and nuclear weapons) program,

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