Iran's nuclear program entails huge costs, few benefits: report
Last edited Sat Apr 13, 2013, 03:26 AM - Edit history (1)
Source: Reuters
Iran will pursue its nuclear quest although it has reaped few gains from a totem of national pride that has cost it well over $100 billion in lost oil revenue and foreign investment alone, two think-tanks said on Wednesday.
A report by the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Federation of American Scientists said Iran's atomic work could not simply be ended or "bombed away" and that diplomacy was the only way to keep it peaceful.
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"No sound strategic energy planning would prioritize nuclear energy in a country like Iran," the report said.
"Instead of enhancing Iran's energy security, the nuclear program has diminished the country's ability to diversify and achieve real energy independence."
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/03/us-iran-nuclear-report-idUSBRE93200620130403
The report is at http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/04/02/iran-s-nuclear-odyssey-costs-and-risks/fvui
The pdf is at http://carnegieendowment.org/files/iran_nuclear_odyssey.pdf
bemildred
(90,061 posts)It's true the Nukular energy is likely a bad deal.
bahrbearian
(13,466 posts)How expenseive are invasions any way, I quess we won't know for another 20 years.
bananas
(27,509 posts)Back in 1992, Iraq had chemical and biological weapons, and was developing nuclear weapons: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iraq/nuke/program.htm
That didn't stop Poppy Bush from bombing and invading.
And Iraq was bombed practically every other week until Dubya invaded in 2003.
Pakistan has nuclear weapons, but that didn't stop Dubya or Obama from invading.
Dubya wanted to invade Iran, but Iran's non-nuclear forces were a sufficient deterrent.
So Iran's nuclear program isn't going to stop it from getting bombed or invaded,
but it is quite likely to cause it to get bombed.
Israel has come close to launching an attack on its own,
just as they did with Iraq in 1981.
South Korea has announced they will launch a pre-emptive attack if an attack by North Korea seems imminent.
North Korea's nuclear program may result in it being pre-emptively bombed and invaded.
And it can happen even if North Korea wasn't actually going to attack, it can happen if signals are misread.
Arctic Dave
(13,812 posts)Could they be bombed? Sure. But you better be ready for blowback for the foreseeable future.
Invasion? Forget about it. No one in the wesern world has the military ability or the financial ability to invade much less occupy Iran.
bananas
(27,509 posts)Arctic Dave
(13,812 posts)I said doing so would be a catastrophic endeavor for anyone dumb enough to go through it.
Tempest
(14,591 posts)Iran isn't stupid.
After Dubya included them in his "axis of evil" speech, Iran contracted with Russia to purchase tens of billions in Russia's latest military hardware. They're now armed to the teeth and would have no trouble turning the Middle East into an inferno.
xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)bananas
(27,509 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)Things don't change very much once they are in the past.
bananas
(27,509 posts)Here's the pdf of the report: http://carnegieendowment.org/files/iran_nuclear_odyssey.pdf