British Naiveté in the War on Terror

The background to the revelation that Britain has indirectly been supplying Hizballah terrorists with night-vision equipment shows how naive the British authorities have been in their dealings with Iran.

The batch of 250 night-vision systems received a special export licence in 2003 because they were "supposed" to be used by Tehran in efforts to stop drug smuggling. Iran merely forwarded the gear to Hizballah as part of a shipment of arms and equipment. Thus, a policy of "constructive engagement" with the enemies of the West has once again led to a situation where the West is conniving in its own defeat.