The United Nations, courtesy of Iran's hard-line regime, has been presented with its first opportunity to return to world legitimacy since the war in Iraq. For the last three years, The UN has teetered on the brink of irrelevance, as the most significant global events continue with little or no input from the organization. In the wake of Iran's decision to renew work in its nuclear enrichment facility, the global community is faced with a new challenge.
For almost two years, the United States was content to remain in the background, as a number of European leaders engaged in talks with Iran, seeking an accord that would prevent the country from enriching uranium, a precursor to creating nuclear weapons. Though Iran insists that it has a natural right to research nuclear enrichment, the interests of the rest of the globe seem to indicate otherwise.
Iranians dispute this claim, arguing that they are pursuing uranium enrichment purely for peaceful motives. Yet, if they are only trying to develop nuclear power - not weapons - why can't they wait for Russia to complete the nuclear power plant it is already building in Iran? The fact is, if Iran was truly committed to nothing more than nuclear energy, this plant would suffice. Nevertheless, the regime insists on provoking the globe with its most recent actions.
Recently, Iran's elected leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, seems bent on taking a path that will isolate his country from the rest of the world. Just days ago, Ahmadinejad said he was disappointed that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke had not been fatal. Moreover, several months ago Iran's president was quoted as saying that Israel should be wiped off the map, insisting all the while that the Holocaust was nothing more than a "myth."
If a nation with this type of attitude toward other countries and an increasingly isolationist view of the world is able to attain nuclear weapons, the results could be tragic - which brings me back to the opportunity for the United Nations. This time, the UN has the opportunity to prove that it can deal with a threat to global stability. Rather than debating about sanctions the United Nations must implement a strict timetable of punishments. First and foremost, Russia should cease construction of its nuclear power facility in Iran until this situation is rectified. Perhaps sanctions could also be imposed for a period of up to six months. If Iran has not yet ceased its efforts to enrich uranium by the end of that time period, more severe penalties must be imposed.
While military action in Iran may be undesirable given the instability in the region at present, alternative methods could be employed. For instance, the U.N. Security Council could endorse a plan that would allow international sabotage aimed at disrupting Iran's nuclear enrichment activities. Such an approach would prove that the United Nations was truly a relevant organization in the world and also show that it can be effective in ensuring the peace throughout the globe.
