Contending with Iran's Sponsorship of Terrorism and Weapons Proliferation By Matthew Levitt

Contending with Iran's Sponsorship of Terrorism and Weapons Proliferation
By Matthew Levitt

Last week I had the opportunity to address the plenary session of the annual international conference of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) in Herzliya, Israel. The lecture highlighted the aggressive and proactive nature of Iran's support for terrorism, and concluded noting that this behavior should inform the world's analysis of and response to Iran's pursuit of a nuclear capability. I argued that were Iran to either have an actual nuclear weapon or the capacity to produce one quickly, the destabilizing impact on the region would be significant. Iran's proxies and allies throughout the Gulf, the Levant and beyond would be emboldened and empowered. And Iran, shielded by a nuclear deterrent, would likely increase its support for terrorist groups knowing other nations would be less likely to respond directly to a nuclear power with a proven track record of aggressive behavior.

One critical common denominator between Iran's support for terrorism and its pursuit of a nuclear weapon is the IRGC. As policymakers grapple with how to tackle Iran's aggressive behavior and the regional and international threats presented by such behavior, it is critical that all tools be on the table. "Smart power," today's preferred term of the trade, does not mean the absence of kinetic tools but the strategic use of such tools in tandem with all other elements of national power. Whatever tools are leveraged to deal with these threats, it is clear that we must refocus our attention on the IRGC, the Qods Force, and the front organizations, bonyads, affiliated companies and other entities that comprise its sophisticated, international support network.

Al-Qaeda, its affiliate groups and local groups inspired by al-Qaeda all continue to pose immediate threats to international security. The stability of both Pakistan and Afghanistan cannot be taken for granted, the international economic crisis is far from over, and health officials now expect another round of Swine Flu. There is no shortage of crises to distract our attention. But the international security threats posed by Iran's support for terrorism and pursuit of a nuclear weapon are at least as formidable as these other policy priorities, and perhaps even more immediate.

The complete lecture is available here.
September 15, 2009 11:58 AM Link
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC07.php?CID=477