Amid the Bluster, Iran and the United States Might Just Give Diplomacy a Chance
A rare meeting to include both American and Iranian officials brings a glint of optimism
Few in the U.S. or Israeli military establishments doubt that Iran would retaliate, probably with missiles as well as through militants in Iraq and elsewhere. But the test-firings produced both success and embarrassment for Iran, including assessments that Iran had doctored a photo to mask the failure of one missile and had shot off mostly old inventory from its arsenal. Iran, Burns said recently, "is not 10 feet tall."
Still, the defiant tone surrounding the missile tests could serve as a classic platform from which to enter negotiations. Tehran, analysts say, may feel it has a relatively strong hand with oil topping $130 a barrel and the United States tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has also been watching the Bush administration's ongoing compromises on the North Korean nuclear issue. And Tehran may well regard a U.S. attack as less likely after hearing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen, disparage the idea of opening a "third front" for stretched U.S. forces.
Iran also has an incentive to take the steam out of efforts, particularly in Europe, to keep ratcheting up economic sanctions. Iranian capital has been flowing out of the country—where unemployment already is high—and inward investment has been shrinking out of fear of a clash with the West. The French oil giant Total has just backed away from a key Iranian natural gas-field development deal, and the EU has slapped penalties on state-owned Bank Melli.
By showing some flexibility, the Iranians may be trying to sow the seeds of a split between Europe and Washington, some analysts believe.
Reader Comments
Iran will have a nuclear bomb next year.
There is no doubt that Iran is the greatest national security threat to the state of Israel. Two nuclear bombs would destroy Israel. Given the overwhelming amount of evidence, anyone who doubts that Iran is actively seeking technology to build nuclear weapons is simply delusional. Those who believe the Iranian regime is willing to forgo what it sees as the divinely inspired mission of eliminating Israel are, at best, dangerously naïve. Those who think Iranian leaders are more worried about survival than reaching paradise and attaining Islam’s ultimate victory, are not listening with open ears. All too many Westerners fall prey to the soft bigotry that presumes men like Ahmadinejad are incapable of saying what they mean and meaning what they say. The West should wake up: http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2007/12/fw-peaceful-majority.html
For Iran,"negotiation" and "compromise" are euphemisms for shame and surrender.
For Iran,"negotiation" and "compromise" are euphemisms for shame and surrender.
In the new Cold War shaping up between Islamism and the democratic West, Israel holds the front line. Once again, the values of the opposing sides are irreconcilable. In the Arab and Muslim order, power is absolute and has to be victorious, so "negotiation" and "compromise" are euphemisms for shame and surrender. Islamist Iran has made itself the driving force. The terrorist movements Hizbullah and Hamas are both Iranian satellites, and their presence on Israel's borders ensures that Iran can already engage in terrorism on its own terms and at times of its own choosing. As to the danger of nuke Iran :
http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2008/01/nuclear-power-and-anti-semitism.html
King Coal most powerful in the U. S.
The reserves of coal in the U.S. is placed at 190 yrs. I would recommend that none of it is used as coal but squeezed and heated as Hitler did when he was running out of plane fuel and gasoline, etc. It worked and he ended up with refinable oil. Let's get moving and make jet fuel, gasoline, diesel fuel, all other residual products that can be of use to our war machine and the decreasing of energy prices to the Man in the street in America. Add these billions of barrels to what we already have in the ground and we have no shortage even providing it only to ourselves and not planning on selling it to our needy allies and enemies. When we are swimming in the fuels of war it is time to strike and make the difference between the world continuing in a more peaceful climate and the U.S. negotiating from a putrified position of need and weakness. What is wrong with our politicians? Haven't any of you played as much of a game of chess? The only communication that works with the middle east is one of overwhelming force and dedication that their planned domination will not only fail but be neutralized by our superior planning and supply and our willingness to show them we have no fear of their promises of apicalypse because their countries will be the only ones experiencing the apocalypse delivered by non-islamic hands as of result of being threatened and placed on guard by war practice. We have long-practiced war at this point and need no further practice. Just the go ahead by a people that plans to survive and make sure you don't.
advertisement
