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| The Stanford Daily - Democracy races nukes in IranDemocracy races nukes in Iran Kelley Fong “The only way to solve Iran’s nuclear problem is to bring democracy to Iran,” declared Abbas Milani of the Hoover Institution last night in a dialogue entitled “Iran’s Nuclear Program: Past, Present, Future.” The event, held at the Bechtel International Center, was co-hosted by the Coalition for Justice in the Middle East (CJME) and the Roosevelt Institution. Milani, who worked and taught in Iran until 1987, currently serves as the director of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford and as co-director of the Iran Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution. The Iranian nuclear program has lately garnered international attention, as the United Nations Security Council will meet next week to consider possible action against the program. A resolution will likely be passed directing Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). With the Iran issue at the forefront of international consciousness, organizers stressed the timeliness of the dialogue. “CJME agreed that it was important for us to promote awareness and dialogue about the Iranian nuclear program, which has profound regional and international security implications,” junior Olivia Sohns, co-president of CJME, said. Milani began by outlining the history of the nuclear program in Iran, from its birth in 1959 through the 1979 Iranian revolution and its implementation in the 1980s. Discussed at length was the current Iranian regime, which Milani asserted has been “successful in pitching [its nuclear program] as a David and Goliath situation.” “We have to distinguish between Iran and this regime,” Milani said. “I think this is a very despotic regime, but I think a democratic Iran should have the right to a nuclear program.” “This regime, so long as they’re in power, will be dedicated to getting the bomb because they see it as essentially their insurance for survival domestically,” he continued, describing the regime as clever in its ability to “create controlled chaos.” Milani also spoke for the need for democracy from within Iran, expressing the belief that “having the bomb will prolong the regime’s power for many years.” However, he also outlined positive signs for Iran, such as its indigenous democratic movements and its developed civil society. Milani used a metaphor of “two clocks ticking: the nuclear clock and the democratic clock.” “I think the nuclear clock has stopped ticking altogether; there’s very little that can be done with that,” he said. “So the United States instead should try to help — help, not deliver — the democratic movement in Iran.” According to Milani, this democratization must occur in a non-intrusive manner. “It has to be clear that Iran is deciding its own future,” he said. Milani also emphasized the timeliness of the issue. “There is a point of no return that is going to come soon,” he said. “If they master this full cycle of technology, it might take them another four, five years, for example, to purify uranium to the extent that they need it to get the bomb, but by then they will have learned all that they need to know to master the bomb.” “I think the way they have gone about it has basically allowed the regime to play both the people of Iran and the people around the world.” Students spoke positively about the talk. “I didn’t know much about the issue,” admitted freshman Sarah Woodward, “but I found the way he presented it really useful to me.” “He knows his stuff,” agreed Ben Goldsmith, president of the Roosevelt Institution. “It’s always fun to get these experts here to talk about issues like this.” First-year law student Mahbod Moghadam described Milani as “very moderate” in his political views as well as “absolutely brilliant as a speaker.” Organizers of the event were pleased with its result. Junior Ann Walker, co-vice president of CJME, highlighted the importance of the issue. “Many students either know very little about Iran’s [nuclear] program or do not completely understand the issue and its implications for national and global security,” she said. Sohns agreed. “Iran is one of the most complex and fascinating countries in the region and we must strive to better understand it,” she said. “It is vital for us, as Americans, to inform ourselves about Iran and the history of our country’s relationship to it.” Click here to read the article from the Stanford Daily website.
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