[Short entry] The Real News-Former IAEA Inspector: Misleading Iran Report Proves Nothing

Evidence continues to accumulate that the recent IAEA report is not a document of political substance nor scientific merit. The Real News interviews a former IAEA weapons program inspector, Robert Kelly. Kelly is currently a senior research fellow at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Edit: Part 2 of the above interview.

[Short entry] Joe Cirncione on the IAEA report on Al-Jazeera

Corroborating viewpoint (video) to that espoused here by Joe Cirncione of the Ploughshares Fund:

The hype about the latest IAEA report about Iran’s nuclear program was much more frightening than the actual content. Yesterday, Joseph Cirincione, the president of the Ploughshares Fund, an organization devoted to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, informed a seemingly stunned Tony Birtley that most of what’s been revealed “is not new”.

[Short entry] Iran's nuclear weapons program

The shortness of the article in the NYT probably wasn't the reason that there was no discussion of the foregone conclusion on the part of "the respectable" and "the elite" including Elisabeth Bumiller of the NYT, that "still remained the greatest threat to stability in the Middle East and Central Asia." This claim is rarely, if ever, analyzed in the "Papers of Record."

Interestingly enough, if you poll people in the M.E. and Central Asia -- and this has been done extensively -- the greatest perceived threat to stability is the U.S. military, next to Israel and population growth. Of course, for the NYT David Patreus' opinion deserves particular attention.

Related information:
America: the greatest threat to global stability
Muslim Publics Oppose Al Qaeda's Terrorism, But Agree With Its Goal of Driving US Forces Out
Pakistanis see US as greatest threat
Occupation and foreign military intervention 'greatest threat'

Chomsky on Iranian deterrent [weblog Op-Ed entry]

Noam Chomsky spoke at Harvard Memorial Church on March 6. His analysis, largely supported by the public record, is that the constant threat of force by the U.S. is driving the Iranians to develop a nuclear weapons deterrent. Paraphrasing, "They'd be crazy not to."

There is very good historical parallels with North Korea to support Chomsky's analysis. The U.S. "talked tough" on N. Korea and marginalized its leadership, keeping "all options on the table" through the last 60 years of administrations. They offered unilateral talks continually to address the threat the U.S. posed to their sovereignty, all summarily denied. They offered to sign non-proliferation treaties, which the U.S. ignored.

Now they have a burgeoning weapons program.

Contrast the situation with Iraq who had no substantive nuclear weapons program at any point in their history. The U.S. has decimated that country with violence.

What's the lesson?