I have some more substantive thoughts on Iran, Russia, and the anti-Putin line coming out of the Post over at Tapped, but this factoid from the article documenting Russia's cessation of nuclear fuel transfer to Iran struck me as worrisome:
Iran's central bank issued a new bank note Monday that includes a nuclear symbol, the Associated Press reported. The note shows electrons flying around a nucleus on a map of Iran.
That sort of thing is going to make it very hard for Iran to walk back its nuclear ambitions, even if its leaders want to. I've talked before about the need for America to give other countries the space to say yes to our priorities without sacrificing their dignity, but Iran seems to be boxing itself in here. The more they make nuclear power a matter of national pride, the less political room they'll have to eventually bargain it away.
But it is worth noting that in other countries, nuclear capabilities are considered a mark of national achievement, and one reason Ahmadinejad's brinksmanship isn't particularly unpopular (as opposed to his inattention to the economy and corruption) is that Iranians perceive America as simply denying their country what all great nations already possess, and thus, denying their country its rightful ascendance into the pantheon of world powers.
