Wednesday October 11, 2006

North Korea has just blasted the lid off of one of the world's worst kept secrets.

The motivation behind North Korea's decision to prove to the world that they have a nuclear program ready for testing is cause for deep concern. The ramifications of this act and the potential threat that North Korea now poses is significant. For some nations, however, the fact of North Korea's nuclear potential is heralded as good news.

The bad guy nations are applauding the audacity and the prowess North Korea has displayed. They are basking in the glory of one of their own. They are whispering praises in the ears of North Korean leadership. They are lining up, putting in orders for nuclear bombs of their own. The major players on that list are silently cheering.

The good guys are out in full voice and they are condemning North Korea, a nation none of them has ever really trusted. The major players on that list are the United States, Great Britain, France, Iran.

Iran? Yes, Iran!

Iran has rejected North Korea's nuclear tests. Iran has condemned the North Koreans for the nuclear experiment. Iran is siding with her own worst enemies on the issue of North Korea's nuclear program. Iran does not in any way want North Korea to be positioned as a nation powerful enough to be a nuclear threat or rival. Putting it plainly, North Korea has ticked off Iran.

Analysts have looked at and dissected and read meaning into the developing relationship between Iran and North Korea. They have watched and evaluated as Iran cultivated diplomatic ties with North Korea over the past year. They have nodded their heads as Iran reached out to North Korea. And everyone, all the analysts and all the diplomats and all the experts came to the conclusion that Iran was interested in North Korea because North Korea was Iran's link to a nuclear weapon. And you know what? They were all wrong.

Iran is not and never has been interested in North Korea's nuclear development. And this nuclear test proves my point. That is not to say that the Iranians are not interested in developing nuclear potential. Of course they are, just not with North Korean material and technology. When it comes to nuclear capability, Iran can do much better than North Korea. When it comes to nuclear capability, Iran has Russia. Who could ask for anything more?

Iran has Russian-nuclear-know-how. Iran has access to far higher grade and far better nuclear systems through Russia than the North Koreans could ever hope to develop. The Russian program is heavily funded. It has logged decades of experimentation and conducted hundreds of comparisons with United States systems. The Russian program has failed and the Russian program has been rebuilt. The Russians have developed and tested and improved their nuclear systems. The Russian program is still not the world's best, but it is far superior to North Korea's system and even today far surpasses any program North Korea can develop over the next few decades. North Korea's system is still in its gestation period. Iranians consider their own atomic program to be more sophisticated than North Korea's program.

The major motivation that Iran had and still has for forging a relationship with North Korea is the strengthening of ties with a country as deeply motivated towards anti-United States sentiment as Iran is. That's it, nothing more.

The North Korean nuclear test was a frightening reality for Iran. Iran sees North Korea as an irresponsible nation and a potential significant threat to the region and the world. Iran was not impressed by North Korea's gall, gumption or guts. That is why Iran condemned the test.

Iran wants the United States ousted as the dominant world power. But they want it done under Iranian control. An irresponsible North Korea, a nuclear North Korea, threatens Iran's plans. That explains why Iran wants to become nuclear. That explains why Iran condemned North Korea for being nuclear. That also explains why Iran is spending so much time cultivating relationships across the world. Iran is expanding its game of Us versus Them, Iran is drawing more players into its game of pitting those abused by America against America, and North Korea fits perfectly within the game. And when a party behaves irresponsibly Iran, the leader of the pack, must call that country into line.

Yes. the pot is definitely calling the kettle black - but only according to Western thinking, not according to Iranian thinking. North Korea is to Iran what Iran is to the Western world. If the West cannot understand where Iran sits on the issue of North Korea, and why, the West will never be able to outsmart, out play or out maneuver Iran. Like North Korea did.

Iran's moves and motivations should never be a secret or a surprise to the West.