The Blame for Bam

I've been pretty worked up about the earthquake in Iran and the fact that over half of the people who once lived in Bam are now dead. It didn't have to happen. Today on the Corner, Clifford May summed up my feelings perfectly:

Yes, there’s been a terrible tragedy in Iran. But the politically incorrect truth is that this was not simply a “natural disaster” or an ‘act of God.” The earthquake that hit the eastern part of that country on the last weekend in 2003 need not have taken tens of thousands of lives. It was no secret that the region was prone to earthquakes. It is no secret that un-reinforced mud-brick buildings would, in case of a severe temblor, bury people alive. The leaders of a poor country could claim that they hadn’t the resources to do anything about that -- that they could not, for example, afford to reinforce existing structures or build new structures that could withstand temblors. But Iran is oil-rich and has had plenty of money to lavish on nuclear weapons programs and on such terrorist groups as Hezbollah. Were Iran a democracy, its mullahs would be held to account, at least at the ballot box.

I've heard it said that the United States cannot impose a democracy on Iraq. But today in Bam over 40,000 lie dead because there is no impetus for a better world in an Islamic theocracy. And, yes, I'm looking at you Saudi Arabia.

Extra: Amir Taheri has more in the NY Post.