Middle East expert Dilip Hiro has written an important essay that explains the obvious reasons various regimes are obtaining nuclear technology:
From the Iranian leaders’ viewpoint, surrendering their right to enrich uranium, as demanded by the Bush administration and its allies, means giving up the path to a nuclear weapon in the future. Yet, the history of the past half century indicates that the only effective way to deter Washington from overthrowing their regime is by developing — or, at least, threatening to develop — nuclear weaponry. Little wonder that they consider giving up the right to enrich uranium tantamount to giving up the right to protect their regime. (Anyone even suggesting that the U.S. give up this right would be laughed off the premises. Indeed, the Bush administration continues to update and upgrade its vast nuclear arsenal, attempting, for instance, to develop bunker-busting atomic weapons for possible future use against Iran’s nuclear facilities.)
I can’t imagine any other country in the world, other than Iran, that would plaster these recent statements by Noam Chomsky across state-run TV and newspapers:
“Surely no sane person wants Iran (or anyone) to develop nuclear weapons. A reasonable solution to the crisis would be to permit Iran to develop nuclear energy, in accordance with its rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.”