First off, I would like to open this article by explaining that I will be keeping to the topic of discussion, which is Iran. That said, critics have completely misunderstood the organization of which I am a part, the âÄúCommittee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America.âÄù CAMERA monitors inaccuracies in the media and educates the public on issues affecting the Middle East. The organization takes no political position on ultimate solutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Its members come from all sorts of religious and political backgrounds. The accusation that CAMERA has a noticeably pro-Israel agenda is wholly unfounded. Iran has a history of making small concessions in an effort to buy more time. Russia, the United States and France all just signed an agreement to ship uranium from Iran to Russia. Iran, however, declined to endorse this proposal because it needed more time to look over the plan. Again, Iran is testing the waters and buying time to continue its treatment of uranium. One member of IranâÄôs nuclear negotiating team said Iran is awaiting âÄúa positive and constructive response.âÄù Last Thursday, one critic assured readers that Iran was cooperating fully with demands to allow U.N. inspectors to see nuclear facilities in a timely manner. The author admitted that Iran âÄúhas avidly fought against inspectionâÄù in the past. Yet again, Iran is not working satisfactorily with world powers to negotiate a solution to the problem, and is instead stalling. In response, one author admitted that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened Israel, but then proceeded to dismiss the threat as âÄúpowerless words.âÄù When one nation threatens another, it should not, and in todayâÄôs world, cannot, be taken lightly. We live in a world that has seen mass genocide and nuclear warfare, and may be on the brink of another conflict. I agree that diplomacy is always preferred, yet how long can we as a global community wait before we have to pay the consequences? Remember British Prime Minister Neville ChamberlainâÄôs infamous line âÄúI have brought peace in our time?âÄù Some suggest we must take IranâÄôs word that it will not build nuclear weapons because it deserves as many rights as any other country. If Iran behaved in a responsible manner, I would agree. It is widely believed that the re-election of Ahmadinejad was rigged. Iranian citizens who protested the results were attacked by the government in the streets in the days following the election. Most world leaders do not openly deny the Holocaust, nor do they call for the annihilation of an entire nation. One author said Ahmadinejad is not really the one in charge, so we should not be worrying. But why, then, does no one else in IranâÄôs government speak out against his threats and hateful sentiments? While the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is considered the head of IranâÄôs government, he has fully supported AhmadinejadâÄôs policies and threats. Ahmadinejad has a considerable amount of power, and he is using it to oppress his own people and create an atmosphere of terror across the Middle East. Iran indeed signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1970, but Iran has not upheld its end of the bargain. Inspectors have not been allowed to enter Iran for years, which raises doubts about the true motivation of IranâÄôs nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency believes Iran has advanced its nuclear program and is producing enriched uranium at an increasing rate. Iran has built large-scale facilities that might have the potential to create weapons. Iran has made a deliberate effort to keep these facilities hidden from the Agency. How much longer can we as citizens of the world wait before more violations occur, and whole countries have been blown off the map by nuclear warfare? Samantha Bass Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America University undergraduate student Please send comments to [email protected].