Neu Leonstein
09-12-2005, 12:52
Keeping the World Safe from the Bomb (http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,389200,00.html)
"I love Vienna," says ElBaradei in his soft voice, the voice that always sounds as if he were doing his best not to disturb anyone. And then, ever the diplomat, he hastily adds: "Next to Vienna, of course, I am very fond of Cairo, where I have my roots -- and New York, where I spent such interesting years."
ElBaradei strokes his almost completely bald head which, together with his small, roundish glasses, gives him an air of the ascetic, a hint of Gandhi. But his well-trimmed moustache, perfectly tailored conservative suit and perfect posture also suggest more than a touch of the aristocrat. He is a man who can effectively bring together contradictions -- a trait mirrored in the decision to award him this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
And an interview: "Al-Qaida also Wants the Bomb" (http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,343030,00.html)
SPIEGEL: Really? Or has the game of hide-and-seek just taken on a new, more refined form? Hardly any European expert is willing to believe the claims coming out of Tehran. After all, Iran has enough oil and especially natural gas that it could do without nuclear power.
ElBaradei: There is a technical justification for everything. And I'm not saying that the rulers in Iran are not interested in acquiring nuclear weapons. If they have decided to operate a secret nuclear weapons program -- for which we, as I mentioned, have not found any evidence to date -- they are likely to have a bomb in two to three years. They certainly have the know-how and the industrial infrastructure.
SPIEGEL: The Americans and the Israelis will hardly permit that to happen. That leaves only the military option, which US President Bush has expressly declined to rule out. But is it really possible to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities with missiles? Aren't they too widely dispersed and in some cases underground?
ElBaradei: Aside from the problems you mention, I do not believe that military strikes can solve this problem. They can delay development at best. Following an attack, the Iranians would most certainly go underground to produce a weapon as quickly and deliberately as possible.
A controversial choice indeed. But who else should have got it?
What do you think of El Baradei and the IAEA getting the award...didn't he do his utmost to keep the peace?
Personally, I can't really think of another person to get it. El Baradei has had to deal with all sorts of shady characters for years (including the CIA), and he kept alive certain principles concerning war and peace.
No one else did as much this year that I can think of right now (except maybe Sharon...but for that I suppose we first need to see how this deal works out).
"I love Vienna," says ElBaradei in his soft voice, the voice that always sounds as if he were doing his best not to disturb anyone. And then, ever the diplomat, he hastily adds: "Next to Vienna, of course, I am very fond of Cairo, where I have my roots -- and New York, where I spent such interesting years."
ElBaradei strokes his almost completely bald head which, together with his small, roundish glasses, gives him an air of the ascetic, a hint of Gandhi. But his well-trimmed moustache, perfectly tailored conservative suit and perfect posture also suggest more than a touch of the aristocrat. He is a man who can effectively bring together contradictions -- a trait mirrored in the decision to award him this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
And an interview: "Al-Qaida also Wants the Bomb" (http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,343030,00.html)
SPIEGEL: Really? Or has the game of hide-and-seek just taken on a new, more refined form? Hardly any European expert is willing to believe the claims coming out of Tehran. After all, Iran has enough oil and especially natural gas that it could do without nuclear power.
ElBaradei: There is a technical justification for everything. And I'm not saying that the rulers in Iran are not interested in acquiring nuclear weapons. If they have decided to operate a secret nuclear weapons program -- for which we, as I mentioned, have not found any evidence to date -- they are likely to have a bomb in two to three years. They certainly have the know-how and the industrial infrastructure.
SPIEGEL: The Americans and the Israelis will hardly permit that to happen. That leaves only the military option, which US President Bush has expressly declined to rule out. But is it really possible to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities with missiles? Aren't they too widely dispersed and in some cases underground?
ElBaradei: Aside from the problems you mention, I do not believe that military strikes can solve this problem. They can delay development at best. Following an attack, the Iranians would most certainly go underground to produce a weapon as quickly and deliberately as possible.
A controversial choice indeed. But who else should have got it?
What do you think of El Baradei and the IAEA getting the award...didn't he do his utmost to keep the peace?
Personally, I can't really think of another person to get it. El Baradei has had to deal with all sorts of shady characters for years (including the CIA), and he kept alive certain principles concerning war and peace.
No one else did as much this year that I can think of right now (except maybe Sharon...but for that I suppose we first need to see how this deal works out).