What is outlined here is exactly what is needed but, as noted, exactly what is unlikely to occur.

Our thanks go to those like Dr. Ciechanover who, so far without much success, try to make Israelis - in and out of authority - aware of this existential threat. Jews over the millennia succeeded well beyond their number through hard work and education. They were literate when the majority were not. They were open to new knowledge and new opportunities when others were not. And they were, in the end, one community responsible for one another. As an outsider (for now) I can only view with concern the decline in education standards in Israel. Jews in any Diaspora community would be ashamed and embarrassed by the appallingly low rates of matriculation, the lack of discipline, and the decline in world rankings. A government that devotes most of its non-defense spending to consumption, and imposes a real decline in support for higher education and research, is one that does not care about the future. Without support and opportunity, many of Israel's greatest assets are voting with their feet and leaving. Nor can we absolve Israel's wealthy for this negligence. That they give so sparingly toward Israeli higher education suggests an "I got mine" attitude that is truly disheartening.

and when it comes to social issues, the finance ministry is not interested in funding them - but rather eliminating them. This is why the situation looks like it does today.

The first threat is about Nuclear Bomb idiot

I don't think that the Israeli people study less now, but instead of sciences, they switched to religion studies, the idea is that this will save them, and that thora is more important than sciences, I think that this is a huge mistake, only super science can save Israel, Israel was created by science people, and not by thora

Because our politicians have been wasting their time talking about peace instead of taking care of business. Every half-assed political hack has a new scheme, usually involving giving away the country, instead of working hard to solve our real problems. Our relations with the Arabs are a security problem best left to the IDF. As far as the Palestinians go, it's time to just admit that there is no political solution. On the other hand, our domestic problems have solutions if politicians do their jobs. And if they can't deliver, throw the bums out. Reform the political system so MK's are responsible to their constituants. It's called accountability ....

It's all very well and good to worry about educational issues and brain drains. We have the same problems in the U.S., where lack of education in science and math means we are importing more and more people on H1B Visas to employ in our high tech industries. (Actually, that's not entirely necessary, but that's another issue.) However, it's all really a moot point if Iran drops a nuke on Israel. And since Israel is so tiny, the nuke could be dropped on a neighboring country and have the same effect. So yes, be concerned about education, but not to the exclusion of other large and possibly larger threats out there. Educational and national security concerns need not be mutually exclusive.

It doesn't matter how many well educated Israeli's there are, if all the manufacturing moves to China. What we have in the United States is a research and development laboratory for factories in China. We aren't producing barely anything anymore. These highly qualified students are using drafting programs to develop nice little toys and goods that are being made in, you guessed it, China. China is now turning out hundreds of thousands of engineers. How long do you think the highly skilled Research and Development jobs are going to last? Not to long. Another words, you can produce all the highly educated students that you can muster.........but will any of them be gainfully employed with no manufacturing left? Probably not. That's why we call it a services industry in the United States. Manufacturing left a long time ago. Foreign car manufacturers are here making cars so they can enter them in nascar races. The car has to be made in the United states to enter the race. These same producers would be in China right now otherwise. Don't think our Car manufacturers aren't going their with production. So before you save everyones education.....you better start planning on competing for a shekel an hour with the Chinese first. Then you might be able to use the education for a viable job, rather than selling Chinese goods in a department store. Come visit a Wal Mart in the United States. Look at the labels on every item. Bangladesh, China, India, Egypt, and so on and so forth. It all goes to the cheapest bidder. Which excludes 90 percent of the American education system. You can't even get these lefties to drill for oil or develop nuclear power plants either. Over educated environmentalists screaming the sky is falling, have nixed any development of natural resources in the United States forever. What jobs will be left for the educated? Lawyers stealing others money maybe? From the Israeli's that slip and fall in the department stores, which sell Chinese goods?

have used in the United States should be drawn up also. Japan's banks gave loans at one percent to all their businesses. These same Japanese manufacturers of television's and electronics made ten and fifteen year plans to lose money in the United States market, by dumping electronic merchandise undercutting the US manufacturers. United States manufacturers were being charged six or seven percent on loans. It took 72 years for Japan's debt to double at one percent interest. It took a little over ten years for the US manufacturers debt to double. By this time the US companies went bankrupt. The Japanese took over the entire manufacturing industry in one clean stroke of genius. The Chinese are holding down the Yuan against every other countries currency doing exactly the same thing. Their people go to work while our people flip burgers and wait tables instead of producing anything. In the long run with this plan. The USA runs a huge trade deficit. China has a Trillion and a half dollars of United States currency and can dump the dollar whenever it deems it convenient ,to bring the USA to its knee's. They will eventually buy the Euro and the Hyperinflation will start. This same plan puts Europeans and Israeli's out of work by deflating the value of their currency. They will work, while your educated youth will work in pizza parlors rather than manufacturing anything of any significance. Israel needs a plan against price manipulation of currencies, as well as a plan to give their industries lower interest rates, than foreign competitors now benefit from. Otherwise, your education system is going to be a stealth project, with no obvious accomplishments in Manufacturing anything. Once China runs everyone out of business....they will raise prices and become profitable.....just like the Japanese did.

Iran has invested the oil incomes well. Same way followed all the Arab oil rich countries.

Other than that....they don't produce to much. What are the empires being built in the desert to become when the oil runs out? Desert. Obviously. Mother nature will see to it.

Iran has managaed to educate its young to the point that they now know how to build nuclear bomb on their own without outside help.President Ahmadinejad announced last week that Iran has developed its own satellites and are ready to join the space race. Iran also now produces its own cars, buses, weapons, and says it has no need of US or EU. Ayatollahs in Iran emphasis to the parents the importance of scientific as well as religious education. This is why Iranians are spiritually as well scientifically in a better position than Israel. Iranian leader in New York last month even claimed that Iranian women are freest and happiest in the world. Can Olmert or Bush make a better claim? I dont think so. Iran is now a regional power. I think best thing is to respect them and makes freinds. Otherwise, I fear Iran is now in a position to annialate Israel off the map. There is nothing US can do to prevent Iran from gaining more influence over the Middle East. Last year the world witnessed how Iranian backed Hezbollah smashed the invinsible reputation of the Israeli army.

Keep sending your children to protect the hated settlers, to abuse harmless and unprotected civillians at hundreds of checkpoints, to shoot at innocent men, women and children in the occupied territories.. all this whilst doing their military service and then expect them to excel and start using their brains and imagination at University afterwards. Mission impossible.

John, you stated that: "Iranian leader in New York last month even claimed that Iranian women are freest and happiest in the world. Can Olmert or Bush make a better claim? I dont think so." Are you kidding me? You compare the freedom of women in Iran to women in Israel? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO ISRAEL? What the hell are you talking about? Second, god forbid, if Iran ever plans to annihilate Israel, then I can assure you that Israel will retaliate (a.k.a. Mutual Assured Destruction). And regarding science - Israel is still one of the leading countries in the world when it comes to science and technology. Your statements are laughable. Dream on.

Hi John, You state that "Iranian leader in New York last month even claimed that Iranian women are freest and happiest in the world." That's clearly not true. An Iranian leader can claim that all he wants to, but claiming it doesn't make it true. Achmadenijad makes all sort of preposterous claims every day. Furthermore, if you think Iran is scientifically superior to Israel, perhaps you should do some research into the number of Jewish and/or Israeli winners of various Nobel prizes in the sciences as compared to the number of Iranian winners, and then compare the sizes of their relative populations to come up with a ratio that will belie your claim about Iranian scientific superiority. I don't mean to imply that Iranians are stupid people. The ones I have met are not. But your logic doesn't compute.

Divine Strake right down the throats of your underground facilities. You will never see the planes coming and nothing will be left of your nuclear program. As for attacking Israel....You will be bending over when the retaliatory strike occurs, kissing your glutious maximus goodbye. The plan is called Samson. I'd read up on it if I were you.Iran will go bye....bye--- in a blink of light.

the real iranian threat is they get a high on cutting themselves and turning the world into nuclear dust .