....or is he trying to taunt Bush into action?
The press in recent weeks has reported, adnauseam, on the jibes and irresponsible statements President Ahmadinejad of Iran has made on Israel. On January 6th this "leader" stated that he hoped Sharon would die and that he should take the Israeli leadership with him. Now we hear that the Iranians refuse to co-operate with the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency and stood up Mohammed El Baradei , head of the IAEA, when talks were arranged in Vienna. These talks were to be aimed at seeking some co-operation on the agency's investigation into Iran's nuclear capabilities.
I know very little about nuclear fission or how it can be turned into a deadly weapon. What I do know is that a lack of co-operation from any nation seeking to manufacture or use nuclear energy, for whatever means, is subject to the scrutiny of the IAEA (this is governed by several UN charters). Mr El Baradei has stated that he is losing patience with Iran over their lack of co-operation.
What are we to make of this snub, and indeed this flagrant disregard for rules intended to govern nuclear activity?
Personally I think there is a sinister challenge being made to the IAEA, George Bush and the Western World. We all remember Bushes "axis of evil" speech and we know that North Korea is (perhaps), trying to stay within the parameters of "nuclear responsibility". We also know (now), that, compared to Iraq (with no found WMD), Iran is becoming a far greater threat to the Western World (as is Syria which did not figure in the "axis" triumvirate).
Perhaps Bush made a mistake with Iraq and should have chosen another "evil axis" partner for punishment instead. Perhaps. But I wonder whether the US has the resources to tackle this even bigger threat now. Only time will tell. All I, as a layman, can think about is that there seems to be no end to de-stabilising factors in the Middle East.