Intelligence Squared US: "Can Israel Live With a Nuclear Iran?"

Can Iran be trusted to act rational, or is Israel correct in viewing it as an existential threat? 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? Moderated by John Donvan, the debate, Can Israel Live With a Nuclear Iran?, airs Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 9 p.m. on AM 1370/FM-HD 91.5-2.

Speaking for the motion: James Dobbins, Director, RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center and Reuven Pedatzur, Israeli Military Affairs Analyst, Ha'aretz. Speaking against the motion: Shmuel Bar, Director of Studies, Israel’s Institute of Policy and Strategy & Fmr. Israeli Intelligence Officer and Jeffrey Goldberg, National Correspondent, The Atlantic

Modeled on the British program Intelligence Squared, IQ2US is an Oxford-style debate that is provocative, intellectually rich, humorous, and dramatic. For each debate a motion is proposed. Then, two panelists argue for the motion and two argue against it, with a moderator controlling the proceedings. After the formal arguments, the debate is thrown open to the floor for questions, triggering a lively interchange among the speakers and audience members. Each side attempts to persuade the audience to vote their way. This adversarial context is electric, adding drama and excitement to the proceedings. The live audience will vote on the motion both before and after hearing the arguments, so there is a clear measure of how far people have actually been swayed. Those votes are tallied during the evening and announced at the end with a clear side winning.