During the last couple years, newspapers have been inundated with articles about dreaded weapons of mass destruction. So, in that spirit, here’s another one.

I’m not going to lie, the possibility that Iran has nuclear capabilities is a little bit scary. The United States is already pursuing steps that would enlist the help of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA. With the IAEA on board, the United States will have an easier time pushing this issue on the Security Council agenda, according to The New York Times yesterday.

Our country’s goal: Place sanctions on Iran. But trying to teach Iran a lesson could take a lot of time.

Every time something happens involving nuclear weapons, or any other world crisis for that matter, I enjoy reading about the countries that are part of the negotiations. It usually looks a little something like this: The United States is currently engaging in talks with the European Union, but it believes that the next step is discussing the issue with China and Russia. These two nations are meeting right now, and they should wrap up these talks within the next few days.

The current adversary of choice is afraid it could lose support from Russia if Moscow chooses to meet with U.S. officials. I know you are going to be shocked, but this formula also applies to the situation with Iran.

Just read those last few sentences over and where it says “adversary of choice,” put Iran.

And as U.N. Security Council members continue to meet, little will be accomplished right away. I’d like to take a time out to mention that the Security Council has virtually no power based on the dangerous precedent started by the United States prior to the Iraq war.

Similarly, the entire United Nations is in desperate need of reform. The meetings throughout 2005 that intended on bringing an end to the mismanagement of funds and the lack of accountability within the world peacekeeping organization were only formalities.

These sad attempts at appeasing critics of how the United Nations handled the genocide in Sudan are just proof that it has a lot of work to do if it wants to make a mark on international relations in the future. The United States could help bring more power back to the United Nations, but I wouldn’t go expecting that out of our current administration.

But now on to more important stuff. If the United States should have learned anything from the events leading up to our attack on Iraq, is that we need to gather more intelligence and that we aren’t always right. The nations in the Middle East aren’t exactly lining up to be allies with the United States, and they never will, unless we give them a reason to do so.

By continuously marking nations for constant ridicule on a global scale, we are only setting ourselves up for future problems.

Yes, Iran is a potentially dangerous nation, but we need to be more patient. The United States will have to work through the complicated channels of the United Nations to reach some kind of compromise with Iran, and, although it may be time consuming, it’s the right way to go.

Jen Steer is a sophomore broadcast news major and the assistant forum editor for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].