There is a superficial attraction to resorting to assassination to prevent the development of a nuclear weapon. To take the heat of Israel/Iran out of the subject, it is tempting to think it would have been good if North Korea’s nuclear programme had been disrupted by such means.
But once you abandon the framework of legality, you have no grounds to complain if your opponent reacts in the same manner. The notion of “good terrorism” and “bad terrorism” is foolish. It reminds me that the media are very anxious actively to spread the idea that bombs in Syria are false flag operations by President Assad, but were scoffing when my on the spot investigation of the actual evidence immediately on the scene revealed that the so called Islamic Jihad Union bombings in Uzbekistan were almost certainly a false flag operation of President Karimov – very probably with the connivance of the CIA.
To start a competition in assassinating scientists seems to me an extraordinarily foolish thing for Israel, with its large and widespread scientific community. There are reasons to worry about Iran’s nuclear intentions, though nuclear armed and militarily aggressive Israel has no moral standing to be the country asking the questions. But street assassinations are not going to do anything but make the problems worse.
Of course, if war is the intention, these murders are entirely rational.
Israel, like the bully in the playground or the spoiled little girl in Willy Wonka craves attention .Except when they are up to no good.
Israel has been very quiet of late !!!
Santorum says there’s a US program to kill Iranian scientists and dead ones are a wonderful thing
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8uNcIEvGdo&feature=share
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1 minute of jaw dropping evil
Why I am not surprised!
Former IAEA official questions Iran evidence
A crucial document pointing to recent weapons work is suspect, says a former UN weapons inspector
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/julian-borger-global-security-blog/2012/jan/13/iran-nuclear-weapons
Wrt the last sentence of Craig’s post, my view is that war is very much the intention.
And wrt the argument that such assassinations will somehow damage the reputation of Israel/US, well, Israel swaggers publicly about its ability to assassinate whosover it chooses, anywhere in the world. That is partly how it establishes it reputation. Remember the hit in the Dubai hotel of the Palestinian official/arms-dealer? The MOSSAD assassination squad waved at the cameras. Assassination is partly a powerful psychological weapon (as well as having practical uses). And the events of the past decade have proved conclusively that the US MIC/MCC cares not a whit for its reputation. It is supported in everything it does by many internationally in any case. But it’s not about making friends, it’s about the use of hard power in pursuit of resource and strategic hegemony. People always make deals with the victor/hegemon. Victory buys its own reputation. The hegemon needs no friends, it needs only tribute in blood and gold.
Furthermore, if Iran starts assassinating Israeli or Jewish scientsist in retaliation, that will simply provide yet another pretext for war – remember that the Begin Govt’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 followed the attempted assassination of Schlomo Argov, the Israeli Ambassador to the UK by the Abu Nidal terrorist group, but the invasion had been planned for many months beforehand. It was alleged later (by Haaretz) that UK intelligence knew about the assassnation attempt beforehand, that an MI5 mole in Abu Nidal’s group had warned them it was coming but that MI5 had not done enough to prevent it. Sound familiar?
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shlomo_Argov
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So, war is coming, I’m afraid. Iran is damned whatever it does -that much has been obvious from the start. They will bomb them all – and, as the Pope said of the Albigensian Crusade, when asked how the soldiers would be able to tell the good from the evil, “Kill them all – God will choose”. And so, folks, very soon, coming to a cinema near you! Iraq, the Encore, ‘Iraq II: the Nuke Option’ – now a major feature film starring Bruce Willis and direcetd by Stephen Spielberg. With a cameo appearance by Sylvester Stallone!
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“Iran is our neighbor, and if Iran is involved in any military action, it’s a direct threat to our security,” Russia’s outgoing ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, told reporters in the Belgian capital Brussels on Friday.
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Not forgetting China is going to be pretty ticked off too, then we can all look forward to the WWIII not the movie.
Craig
Quelcrime
It is a recurring theme with you that even the most vicious of tyrants are somehow redeemed by being anti-American.
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I don’t follow you here. I wrote of Kim’s achievement in securing his country’s defences. Of course it would be nice if he could have run a liberal utopia at the same time as protecting his people from invasion. He didn’t.
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This isn’t a question of securing his country against liberation. Liberation isn’t on offer from Uncle Sam.
Fedup: I would agree that the Israelis shouldn’t assume that their luck will last forever. For long term survival they need to change their attitude towards Palestinians and seek harmony with them.
I myself wouldn’t want Iran to have nuclear weapons at its disposal. But I’m glad that I don’t have to make decisions about whether assassinations are necessary for ensuring national survival.
Abe Rene
The Palestinians are merely the current target. The only ‘harmony’ the ashkeNazis seek is the master race boot on the goy throat, forever.
Iran’s nuclear scientists are not being assassinated. They are being murdered
Killing our enemies abroad is just state-sponsored terror – whatever euphemism western leaders like to use
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/thread/1326781236.html
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Look at the photo on the Guardian article of the murdered scientist and his little boy. Heart breaking.
The Iranians have a good sense of humour.
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https://rt.com/news/iran-us-drone-toy-965/