Empty.

Iran's president announced today that the country has started to produced enriched uranium on an industrial scale, which is a process that could create weapons-grade uranium. The U.S., along with its allies, has been trying to get Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program, with little effect (some would say with no effect, which seems a pretty accurate way of describing the situation). U.N. sanctions have not done anything to slow down the process, it seems--which is more telling about the weakness and ineffectuality of the organization than anything else, a weakness that is a result of a lot of the hypocrisy inherent in its structure and conduct. But let us save that for another day.

India and Pakistan were able to become nuclear powers, a goal the U.S. had little ability to deter them from achieving. More recently, while the Bush administration issued a lot of tough rhetoric, the North Koreans tested a small nuclear device. Now the U.S. is in the process of negotiating with the North Koreans, and is agreeing to one of their major demands, which is the release of its funds from a bank in Macau. While poking fun of the North Korean leader's appearance is de rigeur in the media, it should be pointed out that he is smart enough to know that the U.S. only respects strength.

This is in contrast to Taiwan, a U.S. ally and democratic country, which suspended its nuclear program under U.S. pressure. More recently, the U.S. has been making numerous concessions to China, which has around 1,000 missiles pointed at Taiwan, and has passed an "anti-succession" law to justify attacking the country. The U.S. is bound by law (via the Taiwan Relations Act) to arm and help defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by the China.

So Ahmadinejad simply looked around and saw how the U.S. bullies those who do not defy it (and instead cooperates), only respects strength, and has an aversion to diplomacy, at least until it is forced to confront a defiant adversary who has succeeded in achieving its stated goals--goals which the U.S. government had stated they would not allow. It's easy to see how he would reason that, if countries such as India and Pakistan are "allowed" to have nuclear weapons, why should a big, important country such as Iran not possess them. And why shouldn't they, from their point of view, since the U.S. is developing so-called "bunker-busting small nukes" and threatening Iran with carrier groups in the Persian Gulf (which obviously happened after the nuclear issue had arisen, but a contingency they had to prepare for given the relative readiness the U.S. had shown in invading a Middle Eastern country such as its neighbor Iraq). They need something to defend themselves with and to act as a deterrent. Simple logic (from the other's point of view), which is something the Bush administration seems unable to take into account in their formulation of policy, and subsequent rhetoric and actions.

I see little that would indicate that Iran will suspend its nuclear program. Unless the Bush administration is willing to start another war to prevent it, in all likelihood Iran will join the elite "nuclear club" in the not too distant future.