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Intelligence Squared
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Topic: Israel can live with a nuclear Iran.
For:
James Dobbins, Director, RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center
Reuven Pedatzur, Israeli Military Affairs Analyst, Ha’aretz
Against:
Shmuel Bar, Director of Studies, Israel’s Institute of Policy and Strategy & Fmr. Israeli Intelligence Officer
Jeffrey Goldberg, National Correspondent, The Atlantic
Despite increased international pressure and economic sanctions, the IAEA reported that Iran doubled its number of underground nuclear centrifuges over the summer of 2012, stopping just short of the capacity to produce nuclear fuel. Can Iran be trusted to act rational, or is Israel correct in viewing it as an existential threat? Prime Minister Netanyahu has criticized President Obama for his refusal to draw a "red line" that would trigger U.S. military action, hinting at the prospect of a pre-emptive Israeli strike. But what are the costs and benefits of military action? Is a nuclear Iran inevitable, and will it destabilize the region?
