Why do countries like Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, North Korea and China hate the West so much? Well, they have many reasons, I’m sure, but one that is particularly obvious is the hypocrisy – at times breath-taking – of the West.
A current example. Inspectors from the UN’s nuclear agency have found traces of radioactive material in a building in Tehran. The Israeli prime minister Netanyahu has described it as ‘a secret atomic warehouse.’ In short, Israel and the West are mad as hell at Iran’s apparent attempt to develop nuclear weapons.
This is chutzpah on stilts. It’s like a gang armed with knives who come on a house in which the owner appears (although they can’t be certain) to be developing knife production. No one is saying that the house is engaged in a desirable practice – knives are dangerous things. But to be condemned by parties that openly or covertly carry knives does take away some from the impact of their accusation.
Likewise this nuclear charge against Iran. Of course no one, apart maybe from Iran itself, wants that country to develop nuclear weapons. But the state leading the charge – Israel- is itself the possessor of nuclear weapons. So too are countries like the US, Britain and France. The US uniquely has used nuclear weapons on two occasions. So we’re back to our band of knife-wielders, expressing their horror that this house they’ve located is busy trying to manufacture some knives.
Here’s my proposal and no, Virginia, it’s not wild-eyed or unreasonable. Any country which condemns another country for trying to develop nuclear weapons – in this case Iran – should provide proof that it itself has no nuclear weapons or ambitions to have them, and that if they have them, they will immediately begin to dismantle them, so that their accusation of another country on the nuclear count will not be steeped in noxious, insulting hypocrisy.
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