IRAN-Deja vu all over again?

by JWdaughter 318 Replies latest social current

• 

  llbh

  That was such a well thought analysis - not. It sounded like a rant to me. Who fought the Russians in Afghanistan, yep the Taliban- backed by the west. Who backed Saddam Hussein? Remember Oliver North anyone?

  As has been pointed out, Iran will not be allowed to go nuclear, end of. Russia does not have the military might to do much nowadays, look at Chechnya, that took huge manpower, and cost a lot of lives.

  If the USA and other western nations wanted to help out the deserving poor in oppressed nations there are candidates that are far easier to help out ,such as Zimbabwe or Sudan.

  David
• 

  leavingwt

  David,

  Please take a look at this one. . .

  http://unreligiousright.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-israel-probably-wont-attack.html

  What do you think?

  -LWT
• 

  llbh

  An interesting and thoughtful article lwt.

  I have argued that Iran would be committing suicide to use nuclear weapons, and despite the shortcomings of the Iranian regime, they will not use them.

  My friend who is Jewish still thinks Israel will act against Iran, and sooner rather than later, and he is a moderate! Israel does not need to hit all the nuclear sites to greatly disrupt Iran's nuclear programme. It has acted presumptively before, so it has form. Iran is playing a very dangerous game.

  As for the economic consequences they will be short lived, we in the west need oil, the oil producing nations want the revenue, this is a parasitic/ symbiotic relationship. The best way for us to insulate ourselves from these shocks is to become less dependant on Oil.

  Israel does not care too much what the US thinks, for two reasons. One, this is a matter of sovereignty and national survival, that is their perception. Two, there is a large, vocal, and very powerful Jewish lobby within the US, which will temper any uneasiness within the US.

  David
• 

  leavingwt

  U.S. says does not seek crippling sanctions on Iran

  The United States said on Thursday it does not aim to impose crippling sanctions on Iran but rather to pressure the Iranian government to change course on its nuclear program while protecting ordinary people.

  "It is not our intent to have crippling sanctions that have ... a significant impact on the Iranian people," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters. "Our actual intent is ... to find ways to pressure the government while protecting the people."

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022502803.html
• 

  leavingwt

  Iran Shuts Down Reformist Publications

  Iranian authorities shut down two more reformist publications, citing violations of state rules that govern the media. The media outlets, both linked to opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi, were among the last remaining in Iran that offered dissent.

  Etemad, the Islamic republic's largest circulation reformist daily and the weekly Irandokht magazine were both ordered closed by the Press Supervisory Board, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported.

  . . .

  http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/03/02/iran.newspapers/index.html?hpt=T3
• 

  leavingwt

  Biden Assures Israel of U.S. Security Commitment

  . . .

  "We're determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and we're working with many countries around the world to convince Tehran to meet its international obligations and cease and desist," Biden said after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .

  "There is no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to Israel's security," Biden said as the two leaders made statements to the media.

  Netanyahu voiced appreciation for what he described as Obama's efforts to lead the international community to place tough sanctions on Iran.

  . . .

  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100309/ts_nm/us_usa_israel_biden/print
• 

  llbh

  Whilst I totally understand the commitment of The US to Israel, it does seem to be part of the problem with Iran- US relations. The US seems to be largely uncritical of Israel, thus fuelling Iranian antipathy toward the US further. For instance the tacit support given by the Israeli government for the Sabra and Shatila massacre went largely without comment by the US.

  Netanyahu is supporting expansion of settlements on the West Bank, and The US offers little criticism. Iran and Syria are not beacons of human rights, yet the behaviour of Israel further strengthens them, how stupid and sad.

  David
• 

  leavingwt

  David, it's been more than a week since we've kicked this thread around, so here goes. . .

  Hundreds of powerful US “bunker-buster” bombs are being shipped from California to the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for a possible attack on Iran.

  The Sunday Herald can reveal that the US government signed a contract in January to transport 10 ammunition containers to the island. According to a cargo manifest from the US navy, this included 387 “Blu” bombs used for blasting hardened or underground structures.

  Experts say that they are being put in place for an assault on Iran’s controversial nuclear facilities. There has long been speculation that the US military is preparing for such an attack, should diplomacy fail to persuade Iran not to make nuclear weapons.

  Although Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, it is used by the US as a military base under an agreement made in 1971. The agreement led to 2,000 native islanders being forcibly evicted to the Seychelles and Mauritius.

  The Sunday Herald reported in 2007 that stealth bomber hangers on the island were being equipped to take bunker-buster bombs.

  http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/world-news/final-destination-iran-1.1013151
• 

  leavingwt

  Obama Says U.S. to Pursue Aggressive Iran Sanctions

  President Barack Obama said on Wednesday the United States would pursue "aggressive sanctions" to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon that could potentially spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
  
  Obama, who had made the goal of pursuing dialogue with Iran a cornerstone of his administration's foreign policy at the beginning of his presidency, said he had been successful in getting the international community to isolate Tehran.
  
  "As we've seen, the Iranian government has been more concerned about preventing their people from exercising their democratic and human rights than trying to solve this problem diplomatically," Obama said in an interview on Fox News Channel's Special Report with Bret Baier.
  
  "That's why we're going to go after aggressive sanctions. We haven't taken any options off the table. We are going to keep on pushing," Obama said.
  
  Iran denies it is seeking to build a nuclear bomb and says its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity.
  
  Obama said preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was one of his administration's highest priorities.
  
  "It is a hard problem but is a problem that we need to solve because if Iran gets a nuclear weapon then you could potentially see a nuclear arms race throughout the Middle East and that would be tremendously damaging to our national security interests," he said.
  
  U.S. officials said on Tuesday the pace of Iran's nuclear weapons development appears to have slowed, buying time for a new round of sanctions now and potentially more sweeping measures later.

  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62G5BL20100318?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FPoliticsNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Politics+News%29
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  sacolton

  If Iran really wanted a nuke - they could buy them on black market from the shattered Soviet Union.