Recent Articles America Fiddles While The Mid East Burns Iran: If Diplomacy Fails Spiraling Toward a Nuclear Exchange The 44th President of the United States Torture, Terrorist Rights & American Lives Click here for more articles by Lee Boyland About Lee Boyland Lee Boyland earned a degree in nuclear engineering, then entered active duty as an officer in the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps. A graduate of the U.S. Navy’s Explosive and Nuclear Ordnance Disposal Schools, Boyland was assigned to the Defense Atomic Support Agency in Albuquerque, NM. A member of DASA’s Nuclear Emergency Team responsible for nuclear weapons accidents, including the rendering safe of armed nuclear warheads, he had access to the design details of every nuclear and thermonuclear warhead developed by the United States through the Mark 63 warhead. His duties took him to the Nevada Test Site on many occasions. After leaving the Army, he designed conventional and special ordnance, and demilitarized chemical weapons at Rocky Mountain Arsenal and Tooele Army Depot. He made the transition to hazardous waste management by applying aerospace combustion technology to incineration of Agent Orange. He is the author of The Rings of Allah and Behold, an Ashen Horse, which received critical acclaim by the Military Writers Society of America. Click here to email Lee Boyland

Lee Boyland

America Fiddles While The Mid East Burns
June 4, 2008

Glen Miller recorded the song Perfida in 1941. While the song was about a lover’s broken heart:

 

“With a sad lament my dreams have faded like a broken melody, While the gods of love look down and laugh at what romantic fools we mortals be.”

 

Today, the words might well be:

 

“With a sad lament our dreams of peace have faded like a broken melody, While the gods of war look down and laugh at what idealistic fools we mortals be.”

 

An apt description of today’s America, where our attention is focused on the battle between two liberal presidential candidates, super delegates, and Teddy Kennedy’s legacy and cancer, while the situation in the Middle East and Iran approaches the flash point. Syria is attempting to acquire nuclear weapons technology. And nuclear Pakistan is sliding down the slippery slope toward Islamic fundamentalism.

 

Islamic fundamentalists in charge of Iran, who are providing arms used to kill our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, are close to having the ability to produce nuclear weapons. Hezbollah is preparing for another major attack on Israel. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff recently commented on Iranian-backed Hezbollah, “To be honest, they make al-Qaida look like a minor league team.”

 

In America, the media is in a frenzy over another “tell all” Bush bashing book, written by a disgruntled former employee, encouraged by his spurned mother. McClellan’s mother, Carole Strayhorn asked for, but did not receive, President Bush’s support in her 2006 run for governor in Texas as an independent

 

America’s Jewry, long time supporters of the Democrat Party, inconceivably continues to support the party’s presumed nominee, Barack Obama—a man who appointed anti-Israel Representative David Bonior to represent him at the recent Democratic National Committee meeting. If we elect a sixty percent Democratic controlled Congress and a Democratic president, the U.S. probably will abandon Israel.

 

It seems we in the West never learn. Many, including the author, have compared the current situation to the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, but few are listening. Iran’s Supreme Leader, and his puppet president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, state their intentions to wipe Israel off the map. They are serious about their intentions—they intend to carry them out.

 

A year ago I predicted Iran would have a nuclear weapon by the end of 2008. Then the infamous National Intelligence Estimate (Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities) was released, and the media and liberals went into a frenzy of denial. Since then, the intelligence community has backed away from the flawed estimate, and now predicts Iran will produce weapons grade U-235 in 2009. The media does its best to ignore this reversal.

 

The term “produce” is significant. It means Iran will have the ability to manufacture bombs, not just one or two, but many nuclear weapons. Once Iran has a stockpile of nuclear weapons, they will dominate the region with threats or by actual use of the BOMB. My major concern is that Iran will demonstrate its nuclear weapon by detonating one in Israel or the U.S. The religious fanatics that control Iran have no fear of consequences.

 

Will Israel and/or the U.S. stand by and twiddle their thumbs until an Iranian nuclear bomb detonates? Time to prevent such an catastrophe is running out. What can we, the West, do?

 

First, the decision matrix must be simplified. It boils down to “them or us.” Yes, it really is that simple. One of the lessons we should have learned in Iraq is that the local population will not rise up and support an invading force, no matter how lofty the force’s purpose. Principals of Western government—separation of church and state—are contrary Islam, where the church is the state. Eventually the Mullahs will always rule. Keep your eye on Turkey and Pakistan.

 

Current wishful thinking revolves around an internal revolution in Iran. The young, tired of the dominating clerics, will rise up and overthrow the current regime. We forget that while Iran has had many presidents, it has had only had two Supreme Leaders. The clerics have their own army, the Revolutionary Guard, who is also in charge of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. There will be no successful uprising in Iran, and the Iranian people will oppose an invasion of their homeland.

 

Second, what are the options? The answer depends upon our resolve. There is no support for any type of real action in the UN. A conventional bombing attack may succeed, provided we can identify the key nuclear targets. The key word is “may,” because our obsession with collateral damage will significantly degrade the attacks chances of success. Any thing other than a no-holds-bared attack will only make matters worse.

 

Power is the key to respect and success in the Middle East. Israel failed to use its power last year in Lebanon, emboldening Hezbollah and Hamas. Now Israel is perceived as weak by its enemies.

 

To have any chance in establishing stability in the region, the U.S. and Israel must first use overwhelming force. Explain it so they can understand. Will we? Can we afford to wait for the November elections? We can’t, but I am afraid that we will. Worse, if America elects a liberal majority in Congress and a liberal president, Israel will be abandoned. What then will Israel’s options be?

 

Israel does not have the option of waiting. Unlike the U.S., Israel does not have F-117 and B-2 stealth bombers. Israel cannot take out key Iranian sites with conventional weapons. Hezbollah and Hamas are preparing to deliver more violent attacks.  We somehow expect Israel to accept rocket attacks on its civilians, when such an attack on a U.S. border city would result in the immediate annihilation of the attackers. At some point Israel will reach the conclusion that it is “them or us,” and employ the nuclear option. If the U.S. does not soon act, this will occur.

 

What will be the effect of a Israeli nuclear strike on Iran? A full scale regional nuclear war, if the U.S. does not immediately step in and state that it will destroy any nation that attacks Israel. If the U.S. does not, the Muslim nations, including Pakistan, will attack Israel, and Israel will have no choice but to launch the rest of its nuclear weapons at its enemies.

 

The sand has almost run through the hour glass.

 

Indeed, the gods of war do look down and laugh at what idealistic fools we mortals be.