August 30, 2006
Louis R. Beres, Professor of International Law at Purdue University, returned last week to again present the program at the Attica-Williamsport Rotary Club. Professor Beres is a lecturer, publisher and advisor on matters of the Middle East. The emphasis of his talk again addressed Iran and how that country's present government and its attitude affects the present world climate and increases the chances of nuclear war.
He indicated that the Iranian stance toward the west and Israel is extremely aggressive, approaching a point of no return, and is becoming a greater danger every day. He stated that we do not live in a world where political solutions will produce any results to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear state.
A preemptive strike against Iran's nuclear infrastructure would result in large numbers of civilian casualties because they have had a deliberate policy of placing military targets in the midst of the civilian population. Many of the nuclear facilities are scattered over a large area and also deep underground so attacks may not have a big effect on them. The hope would be to delay Iran's nuclear quest. He believes that letting Iran develop nuclear weapons would result in a strike against Israel and cause millions of casualties and change the world as we know it forever.
Much more can be found about Professor Beres and his views on the Middle East by searching for his name on the internet or reading some of his publications. This is not a new subject with him since he published a book in 1979 about the threat of nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists.
Apocalypse: Nuclear Catastrophe in World Politics (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1980), 315 pp.
Terrorism and Global Security: The Nuclear Threat (Boulder,
Colorado: Westview Press, 1979), 161 pp. (2nd ed., 1987).
Security or Armageddon: Israel's Nuclear Strategy (Lexington,
Massachusetts: Lexington Books, 1986), 242 pp.