The Rudd delusion

It was an astoundingly ignorant and dangerous statement. Was a senior ALP figure seriously suggesting that the only alternative to legal proceedings against Iran’s president was an unprovoked attack against the country’s supposed nuclear facilities? This was far more serious than McClelland’s publicised "gaffe" when he said that the Labor Party opposed the death penalty in all cases.

There is no doubt that Washington is gearing up for a strike against Iran. Recently imposed sanctions are just the latest unilateral move designed to escalate an already-tense situation. It is worth reflecting on recent comments by International Atomic Energy Agency chairman Mohammed El Baradei:

" I have not received any information that there is a concrete, active nuclear weapon program going on right now… We have information that there have been maybe some studies about possible weaponisation. But we are looking into these alleged studies with Iran right now… But have we seen having the nuclear material that can be readily used into a weapon? No. Have we seen an active weaponisation program? No. So there is a concern, but there is also time to clarify these concerns."

After the corruption of the intelligence process over Iraq, I’ll listen to El Baradei over Dick Cheney any day.

A Rudd Government would likely sanction a US-led strike against Iran. Perhaps covertly, but Rudd has offered no assurances that he believes the Bush Administration should not be trusted over its Iran policy. Besides, arguing against the Iraq invasion is a luxury that Rudd would never indulge in power. Not unlike Howard and a host of past Labor Prime Ministers, Washington’s call is one that Australian leaders find impossible to resist.

Iran is a repressive, theocratic state that has greatly increased oppression against its own people since the 2005 ascension of Ahmadinejad. As a leading US scholar wrote recently, Iran is a not a threat to Israel, merely a challenge to its regional hegemony. There is undoubtedly a power struggle currently underway between Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Ahmadinejad and more moderate Islamist forces.

None of these developments justify a pre-emptive military strike, however, and merely reinforce the belief that Iran, along with Syria, are nations that refuse to submit to American bullying. And it is for this reason alone, it seems, that Iran must be attacked.

A likely Rudd Government may be forced to make a decision on this matter within months of assuming office.

Silence is not an option. If Rudd, like Howard, joins America in an unprovoked attack against a Middle Eastern nation, he will be as worthy of contempt as our current prime minister.