publish time

30/04/2018

publish time

30/04/2018

Ahmed Al-Jarallah – Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
THE World Health Organization (WHO) announced at the beginning of this year that thousands of North Korean children are under the threat of starvation. Over the past twenty years, this is the second time starvation is staring in the face of this isolated nation.North Korea is in this situation because of the policies adopted by its leader who is developing nuclear and ballistic missiles program at the expense of its citizens, in other words literally starving to death the ‘citizens’.Perhaps, the North Korean ‘supremo’ Kim Jong-un has realized the only way to beat starvation was by cooperating with his southern neighbor and the United States of America. Stubbornness and a blind desire to go nuclear took North Korea on the verge of starvation because of economic sanctions imposed on Pyongyang by the international community.His meeting with the southern counterpart is welcomed by the world community and one of the straightforward steps to close the most complex file of the past half a century. About two weeks from today, there will be a major event concerning the Middle East, primarily Iran, when the US will take a second look at the nuclear deal between major powers and Iran, and definitely, this event will have a significant effect on the world.This deal contains major flaws in its current phrasing, in fact, it is considered to be the window of salvation for the regime in Tehran to continue with its interference in the affairs of other nations and terrorizing the world under the cover of this deal. This is due to the fact that, the items of this deal restrain Iran’s nuclear program with flimsy restrictions that could easily be circumvented.We have seen the result of that when Iran benefitted from the partial release of its frozen money which the authorities in Tehran used in funding its military and terrorist schemes in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Undoubtedly, the international stand on Iran throughout the past 39 years was not built on illusions or claims; instead, on reality and evidences which incriminate the regime of the Mullahs — starting from Lebanon, through Africa, Argentina, and not ending with Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.Many crimes against humanity have been committed in several other countries, in addition to the slogan which was hoisted by Al-Khomeini in 1979, the price for which was paid by about one million injured, disabled or dead during its eight-year war with Iraq from 1980 to 1988.The regime in Tehran instead of taking a page from the experiences of others, resorted to more dangerous methods, and began to revive its nuclear and ballistic missiles program.Iran thinks the world will cower and yield to blackmail but what has actually happened throughout the past two decades is that the Iranians have become more impoverished. It looks like the peacocks in Tehran insist on continuing with their stubbornness until they reach a point of no return.The shouts of starvation which are heard on a daily basis on the streets of its towns and villages penetrate the thick walls of the palaces of the Mullahs. It is time for the Mullahs to fear the fury of the hungry. If since 1979 Tehran had adopted the policies of good neighborliness with its neighbors, Iran would be counted among one of the most advanced nations given its capabilities, and perhaps, it would be in the league of South Korea which is ranked seventh economically — the small agriculturally poor country in the 1960s. Therefore, the leaders in Tehran are invited to compare, learn and benefit from the two Koreas, or else, the review of the nuclear deal will let loose hell from within and from the outside. By Ahmed Al-JarallahEditor-in-Chief, the Arab Times[email protected]