Well, the neo-crazies are wandering around in a daze, stunned by the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Peace Prize to Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, rather than to Bonkers Bolton, architect of our Proliferation Security Initiative.
According to the Committee:
"At a time when the threat of nuclear arms is again increasing, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to underline that this threat must be met through the broadest possible international cooperation.
"This principle finds its clearest expression today in the work of the IAEA and its Director General.
"In the nuclear non-proliferation regime, it is the IAEA which controls that nuclear energy is not misused for military purposes, and the Director General has stood out as an unafraid advocate of new measures to strengthen that regime.
"At a time when disarmament efforts appear deadlocked, when there is a danger that nuclear arms will spread both to states and to terrorist groups, and when nuclear power again appears to be playing an increasingly significant role, IAEA’s work is of incalculable importance."
Incalculable importance?
Nonsense.
Ever since the Soviet Union disintegrated, UN agencies such as the IAEA have thwarted neo-crazy efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. The refusal of the Security Council to sanction the use of force against Iraq in 2003 – largely because of ElBaradei’s reports that there was no "indication" there had been any attempt to resurrect the nuclear programs destroyed under the supervision of the IAEA way back in 1991 – was the last straw.
Shortly after Bush defied the Security Council and invaded Iraq anyway, he had Bolton establish the Proliferation Security Initiative, a US-controlled international “coalition,” willing to act – as in Iraq – even in defiance of the Security Council, the UN Charter, and international law generally.
According to Bolton, the PSI had to be established because “proliferators and those facilitating the procurement of deadly capabilities are circumventing existing laws, treaties, and controls against WMD proliferation.”
Here are excerpts from Bolton’s June 5, 2003, explication of the PSI’s necessity before the House International Relations Committee:
“We aim ultimately not just to prevent the spread of WMD, but also to eliminate or ‘roll back’ such weapons from rogue states and terrorist groups that already possess them or are close to doing so. While we stress peaceful and diplomatic solutions to the proliferation threat, as President Bush has said repeatedly, we rule out no options..
“While we pursue diplomatic dialogue wherever possible, the United States and its allies must be willing to employ more robust techniques, such as (1) economic sanctions; (2) interdiction and seizure; and (3) as the case of Iraq demonstrates, preemptive military force where required.
“The hard lessons learned by Iraq must resonate with other proliferating countries. Those countries should heed that thwarting international obligations and standards – by seeking weapons of mass destruction – is not in their national interests and will not be tolerated by the international community.
“We now know that Iran is developing a uranium mine, a uranium conversion facility, a massive uranium enrichment facility designed to house tens of thousands of centrifuges, and a heavy-water production plant. This costly infrastructure would support the production of both highly enriched uranium and plutonium for nuclear weapons. While Iran claims that its nuclear program is peaceful and transparent, we are convinced it is otherwise."
Well, there you have it. Bush had decided more than two years ago that Iran had willfully violated – with impunity – the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
But last November ElBaradei reported to the IAEA Board that – although Iran had previously not reported materials and activities it should have reported – Iran was now in substantive compliance with its Safeguards Agreement. Furthermore, ElBaradei reported there was no evidence Iran had diverted any "special nuclear materials" to a military purpose.
Ever since, Bolton and his acolytes have been lobbying members of the IAEA Board of Governors, demanding that the Board refer Iran’s Safeguarded nuclear programs to the UN Security Council for "possible action."
What sort of action? Well, if the Board refuses to refer Iran to the Security Council and/or the Security Council refuses to take appropriate action, then Bolton – the Peacemaker – will demand that the international community join us in applying the “robust techniques” of Bush’s Proliferation Prevention Initiative – including (1) economic sanctions; (2) interdiction and seizure; and (3) preemptive military force – to “proliferators” (such as Iran) and to those “facilitating the procurement of deadly capabilities” (such as Russia and China).
