Repeat in Iran

Today CNN reported(China: Don't Refer Iran To U.N.) that China will oppose any effort to refer Iran to the UN security Council over its nuclear program. China believes that the situation should be handled by the IAEA. The Chinese Foreign Minister believes that Iran has been sufficiently dealing with the IAEA. Clearly, there is some validity in the Chinese position: introducing the issue at the security council may unecasarily complicate the already delicate situation. One must be suspect of the Chinese position however considered there great trade interests with iran: "Iran is eager to step up trade with China. It signed a preliminary agreement for the export of gas to China for 25 years. It also has offered China a concession to develop oil and gas fields in the Persian Gulf."

The question is simple: how can the international community confront nuclear proliferation in Iran, let alone any country, if the country being dealt with has significant economic ties to other nations. We dangerously saw where this situation led the international community over Iraq- no consensus clearly could ever be reached betweent he United States and its European allies such as France because they had considerable economic interests in Iraq. This is not to blame only the Europeans for the failed diplomacy in Iraq or potentially the Chinese with Iran. It does demonstrate, however, that the efforts at diplomacy with Iran must supercede those in Iran by leaps and bounds.

A recent war game conducted by Sam Gardiner, a retired Air Force colonel and war games expert, (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200412/fallows) revealed the neccesity of the success of diplomacy in Iran: "After all this effort, I am left with two simple sentences for policymakers," Sam Gardiner said of his exercise. "You have no military solution for the issues of Iran. And you have to make diplomacy work." Gardner's war game revealed that the US military options in Iran are extremely limited, given the current situation in Iraq. The recent developments with Iran's vote to further its nuclear program and China's willingness to oppose consideration of the Iran situation by the security council make the dire need for diplomacy terrifyingly apparent. Hopefully, the Bush administration can rise to the diplomatic task.