It's time to give up the nonproliferation bid in Iran. There's no way that they'll comply, and overstepping ourselves on this will just leave us vulnerable to an ax-strike on the right calf (talk about dropping someone to their knees). Iran is a power and they think that the bomb will take them to the next level. That's not something we can or should withhold from them. In many ways they're a very modern state and very tolerent, and their world-view deserves its course, especially because the additional responsibility will help them grow into a participatory state.

The hypocrisy of non-proliferation is subtle. Claiming that a nation hasn't got the right to study science is clearly bogus and unenforceable. Yet there is legitimacy in asking them to not focus their science on weaponry. In this case that request has not been heeded, and we should concentrate on cultivating a nice atmosphere rather than heightening tension and delusion. If we act like we expect them to use the bomb, they might be confused into actually doing it. If we focus rather on helping them reform their treatment of dissenters, we'll all be way better off before long. We need to laugh with them rather than laughing at them, and then when we whisper in their ear they'll be able to listen without the rest of the world noticing.

Now would be a good time for our government to admit responsibility for the ruination of Iran's democratic government in the early fifties. If we profess the idiocy of that move, we can shift focus away from "The US is right" and towards "Doing right is right". The latter will be a far more palatable sentiment, and people and states respond when they are given a "moral assignment". This is how Dr. King effected change in our world - he explicitly shared the burden with those listening and was honest about the nature of the problem. In the age of blogger the US can no longer hide the truth, so our government would do well to implement a policy that's consistent with it.

Now, it is a bit scary that a nation so engaged in guerilla tactics in Iraq will have the capability to humble our cities or forces. Yet no one in posession of a bomb has ever used it, save that one instance. With that power comes an immensely heightened sense of responsibility. Further, Iran now has a great risk of being falsely blamed if someone else set off a nuke, so they have a huge interest in cultivating a reputation that would negate that hypothesis. They may seem like they're almost strong and secure enough to continue pissing in our direction, but I bet they'd take the chance to come into friendlier terms if the US backed off from arrogant normative capitalism and Big_Bro-esque management of our history. They'll get higher off a boost from our linked fingers than from stepping on the small of our back after lopping off the right leg below the knee. That's simple. And economic sanctions are idiotic.