Given the recent drama over the USA and Iran, how do you feel about sovereign nations acquiring nuclear technolgy for civilian purposes? If all signatory nations are allowed by the United Nations to produce nuclear power for "peaceful purposes," shouldn't Iran be able to develop such technology without hinderance from other countries? Afterall, the UN Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty makes it clear in Article IV:
1. Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty.
2. All the Parties to the Treaty undertake to facilitate, and have the right to participate in, the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Parties to the Treaty in a position to do so shall also co-operate in contributing alone or together with other States or international organizations to the further development of the applications of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, especially in the territories of non-nuclear-weapon States Party to the Treaty, with due consideration for the needs of the developing areas of the world.
Obviously, the United States is foaming at the mouth by stating that Iran should not be able to develop nuclear tech. They say that Iran will most definitely use the tech for producing WMD's, while Iran insists that it is for peaceful purposes. Who should we believe? Should we believe the country who definitively stated that Iraq possessed WMD's and subverted the UN by invading Iraq even though the UN didn't approve of it? Why is the USA not allowing Iran its "inalienable right" to produce nuclear power?
Of course Iran is going to stand defiantly against the USA. The US government is the one denying Iran's "inalienable right" under the NPT. Wouldn't you do the same? Or would you just sit there and take it up the @$$ from a bullying nation?
Come to think of it, if the US gets their way with Iran, what do we need the UN for anyway? The UN backed down over the US invasion of Iraq even though it was voted against. Russia and China are backing Iran - why are they not afraid? Shouldn't we just get rid of the UN and let the USA police the entire world as they see fit? Isn't that what they are doing anyway?
Flame on folks, flame on!
(for the record, I have no interest either way if Iran gets nuclear tech or not. This is just another one of those let's look at both sides of the coin threads)