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By Maj. Gen. Jerry R. Curry (ret'd)
curryforamerica.com
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, has said that a nuclear exchange between Iran and Israel in which Iran and its people are totally destroyed is acceptable, provided that all the Jews in Israel are killed and that Israel ceases to exist as a nation. Israel, with emotional balance and clear resolve sees the situation quite differently. Israel would never attack Iran or any other Middle Eastern nation except for self-preservation purposes.
Earlier Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini said that, "The governments of the world should know that . Islam will be victorious in all the countries of the world, and Islam and the teachings of the Qur'an will prevail all over the world." According to Khomeini after the destruction of Israel and the United States, Iran's long range goal is world domination.
Earlier still Osama bin Laden, the Muslim terrorist leader said, "The judgment to kill and fight Americans and their allies, whether civilian or military, is an obligation for every Muslim who is able to do so - in any country. In the name of Allah, we call upon every Muslim who believes in God and asks for forgiveness, to abide by God's order by killing Americans and stealing their money anywhere, anytime, and whenever possible." It was a strong desire for martyrdom and the Muslim apocalyptic world view that caused the tragedy of 9-11, not factors like mid-east poverty or the alleged western corruption of Muslim society.
These quotes clarify why the Muslim zealot, Ahmadinejad, demands that Iran develop nuclear weapons? Clearly he is not concerned about defending Iran against Israel, for he knows full well that an unprovoked Israel will never initiate a nuclear first strike.
Today Iran is ruled by a man who borders on insanity, one who believes that it is his religious duty to usher in some kind of an apocalypse, some kind of an end to the world. He acts like Allah holds him personally accountable for destroying Israel and the United States and for ushering into the world the evil and chaos that is supposed to accompany the arrival of the Twelfth Imam - the Muslim messiah. There are times when President Obama's strange foreign policy twists and turns makes one wonder whether he, too, believes in the coming of the Twelfth Imam.
Here is a highly plausible scenario: Iran destroys Israel -- the Little Satan. The toppling of pro-western governments such as Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt quickly follow. This results in the closing of the Persian Gulf and Iran's taking control of access to most of the world's oil reserves. At the same time Iran attempts to militarily neutralize or destroy the United States -- the Big Satan.
To carry out such actions, Iran would have to have access to, or will need to develop deliverable nuclear weapons. Israel's survival depends on never permitting Iran to develop nuclear weapons because then Iran can attack Israel quickly, decisively and with such massive fire power that Israel cannot recover. So in order to survive Israel must, of necessity, strike first and that strike must destroy most of Iran's nuclear weapons before Iran becomes nuclear capable - a reachable goal within the next year or so.
Such actions would not be necessary if the United States, the United Nations and the western world mustered the strength of will necessary to convince Iran to drop its nuclear weapons development program. If the current sanctions and negotiations don't bring a quick end to Iran's nuclear weapons program development, the consequences will be quite severe and unpredictable for all concerned.
Here are the questions we need to ask ourselves. Are we and the world prepared to stand idly by while Iran initiates another holocaust -- the death of another six million Jews? On the other hand if the U.N. remains unengaged, are we prepared to go it alone and to pay the price it will take in American lives and treasure to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program?
And are we willing to explore regime change in Iran? There seem to be many disgruntled Iranians who, for various reasons, would like to see Ahmadenijad and his Mullahs replaced by a government that is more oriented toward freedom and democracy.
In 2006 Amadinejad said, "We don't shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world . It's a universal ideology that leads the world to justice . We must prepare ourselves to rule the world." As Iran prepares the way for itself and the Twelfth Imam to rule the world, is it not reasonable for the United States and its allies to prepare themselves to protect the world?
Jerry Ralph Curry; Maj. Gen., US Army, Retired; P.O. Box 407, Haymarket, VA, 20168; (703) 753 2615; author of: From Private to General: an African American Soldier rises through the Ranks.