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Kissinger on Iran: Has the U.S. Already Conceded a New Era of Nuclear Proliferation?

(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Jan. 29: "Nuclear talks with Iran began as an international effort, buttressed by six UN resolutions, to deny Iran the capability to develop a military nuclear option. They are now an essentially bilateral negotiation over the scope of that capability through an agreement that sets a hypothetical limit of one year on an assumed breakout. The impact of this approach will be to move from preventing proliferation to managing it." Mr. Kissinger is clearly worried about how far the U.S. has moved from its original negotiating position. And he is concerned that these concessions will lead the world to perceive that such a deal would put Iran on the cusp of being a nuclear power. "If the other countries in the region conclude that America has approved the development of an enrichment capability within one year of a nuclear weapon, and if they then insist on building the same capability, we will live in a proliferated world in which everybody - even if that agreement is maintained - will be very close to the trigger point." A world with multiple nuclear states, including some with revolutionary religious impulses or hegemonic ambitions, is a very dangerous place. Mr. Kissinger's concerns underscore the need for Congressional scrutiny and a vote on any agreement with Iran.
2015-02-10 00:00:00
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