IRAN'S NUCLEAR POLICY: LATENCY
"... An Iranian nuclear bomb is neither imminent nor a
foregone conclusion. The 16 U.S. intelligence agencies judge with
high confidence that Iran has conducted no nuclear weapons-related experiments
since 2003, that it currently has no nuclear weapons program, and that is has not made the
political decision to pursue nuclear weapons. In theory, this provides ample
political space for Obama to pursue a sustained process of diplomacy dedicated
to ensuring that Iran's nuclear program remains verifiably peaceful.
In practice, however, we often see the opposite from
Washington -- self-imposed time limits on diplomacy, unprecedented coercive
measures, and sensationalistic
journalism about an imminent Iranian nuclear weapon. Why the
disconnect? Because at present, Iran is pursuing a strategic middle ground called
nuclear latency: It aims to build a nuclear energy program that would allow for
the production of a nuclear weapon on short notice if an existential threat
came to the fore...."
