The Iranian nuclear program has developed into an international affair that has been outright denounced by Western governments, due to the implications that Iran is pushing hard to obtain the necessary technological advances needed to become an active nuclear power. Such an attempt to westernize is in stark contrast to the government’s derogatory views on Western culture and embracing it. While Iran formally states that its intentions are merely for peaceful, domestic uses of nuclear energy, the question arises as to whether or not this is really truth. This claim is faltered by the fact that Iran, among other actions, announced its intentions to self-enrich its own already highly enriched uranium by 20% (Watson). While this is still too impure to be useable as bomb material, the question remains as to what the true purpose behind this public announcement is. CNN reporter Ivan Watson raises a good argument in saying that such publicly announced information that, in light of Iran’s current international position regarding nuclear technology, such a move is no more than a façade. He comments that it this announcement was made the same weekend during which opposition activists openly planned to take to the streets in protest of the Iranian government. In other words, it is highly possible that Ahmadinejad is using nuclear propaganda to deviate the world’s attention away from ethical concerns to nuclear ones, leaving him free reign to deal with protesters to his regime in any manner he sees fit.
Overall, it seems that Iran is not avoiding modernization, but rather dropping the modern world through its governmental sieve, through which a very minimal amount passes. Also, selective parts such as nuclear technology are taken to further control the people and attempt to suppress rebellion through instilling twisted religious views, and by force. If we, as both Christians, and as the people who recognize this issue, step forward on a worldwide scale, we can better the chance for the sieve to be removed and the iron fist of the corrupt government to be replaced by one run under the true values of Islam and in favor of the people.
-Jeremy
This seems to showcase the contradictory overtone of Iranian society at its finest. Iran is a country that is so adamant in preserving its sacred religious tradition by refusing to conform to Western influences yet so eager to advance in technology such as those dealing with nuclear power. The line distinguishing the countries true motives quickly becomes blurred. Muslims who are ready to advance and globalized are looked at as heretics yet those who require modern technology to carry out jihad missions are regarded as heroes. Clearly Iran is suffering from severe corruption within both political and religious parties. How can a country who is barely stable in the local aspect be expected to have influence on a global scale? Then the question arises is it our job as a successful nation to intervene even if our countries safety is at risk?
ReplyDelete-Victoria
Jeremy, I agree that Iran becoming a nuclear state will make it more globalized; however, I do believe that giving Iran the clearance will lead to many problems. Once the Iranian government posses those capabilities to enrich the uranium it will only be a matter of time before they take it to the next level. I disagree with the idea that the propaganda about the Iran’s nuclear plans is merely there to divert the public’s eyes from the brutality that President Ahmadinejad uses to put down protests. I think that because of this propaganda that the world is watching Iran closer than ever, evaluating its every move. If Iran does go along with its plans to enrich the uranium I think it is up to the religious leaders to keep the pressure on president Ahmadinejad to make sure that no weapons come out of this abundant energy source. Also because of the large base of terrorism in Iran, the government needs to have extreme precautionary measures in place before they start this process because the world could not afford a terrorist getting his hands on enriched uranium.
ReplyDelete-Patrick
Jerbear- I definitely agree that the contradictory systems in place by the current regime are those of a government that does not seem to know how it should deal with current global crises. On one hand, the government has impressed on its people the desire to resist modernity and maintain the systematic destruction of the peaceful aspects of Islam. On the other hand, however, the government wishes to obtain the same technology so characterized by the modern state. Nuclear technology represents the pinnacle of the military advances in the past eighty years, and its quest to obtain even more and more of this technology contrasts the government's traditional undertones of conservatism.
ReplyDeleteFor me, this represents a double-standard: the government, while shunning Western technology, wishes to use that same shunned technology to gain an upper hand against the same Western powers that developed. It can almost be seen as a "dose of their own medicine" type of policy.
-David "D-Dubs"
ReplyDeleteI think that if Iran becomes a nuclear state under Ahmadinejad's control only turmoil will arise. While advancing nuclear technology can be used beneficially for things such as electricity, it also provides radical terrorists with the ability to use it to impose their beliefs on the people. I do believe that if Iran can reform its government and dismiss it of all radical rule than promoting nuclear program will be one step in the right direction for globalizing Iran.
ReplyDelete-Jimmy
ReplyDeleteOverall, good blog - see my posting under Patrick's posting. Thought provoking, but some of the additional post could have been a bit more reflective.
ReplyDelete