The power, and threat, of Iran

[bemildred]

IMHO what all the noise about Iran is really about. It is worth mentioning again that the Bushites and Neocons were greatly effective in aggravating the present situation, with their feckless wars.

Writing From Beirut - It was pure drama: The leaders of the United States, Britain and France stepped onto the stage at the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh last week to unveil Western intelligence that showed Iran had a second nuclear fuel enrichment facility under construction, a fact Iran had declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency the preceding Monday.

The Western leaders implied that their revelation was devastating for Iran as a credible player. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates subsequently pronounced Iran to be "boxed in" and "in a very bad spot now." But anyone who listened to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's interview with Time magazine the day of the presentation, and to subsequent Iranian statements, will be clear that Iran, at least, does not see itself as boxed in.

Far from it. Ahmadinejad exuded confidence and simply -- and nonaggressively -- counseled President Obama not to go down this route. It might seem counterintuitive to most Americans and Europeans, but Ahmadinejad's advice might be worth pondering.

The Pittsburgh dramatics, in a sense, signal the culmination of three pivotal events that took place in the Middle East 20 years ago. The first was the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1989; the second was the 1991 Persian Gulf War; the third was Yitzhak Rabin's victory in the 1992 Israeli elections. The consequences from these momentous events are coming to a head for Obama now. His course of action may determine whether this region is about to enter a new phase of bitter conflict or a new era of strategic change.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-crooke1-2009oct01,0,764603.story

[phantom power]

1. I refuse to hold Iran's nuclear ambitions against them.

It's pure demagoguery and bullying. They'd have to be mad to not want nuclear capability, given Israel's arsenal and the United States behavior under BushCo.

The US doesn't want a nuclear Iran because it will be one more country we can't walk all over.

[bemildred]

2. I think the current government is an unpleasant one.

But your feelings or mine do not matter much, what matters are the facts on the ground, and Mr Crooke lays them out nicely.

[Tutankhamun]

4. Exactly. Also keep in mind that much of the country has no electricity.

[bertman]

3. Persia. A middle eastern power for millenia. Yet we expect them to roll over and beg

for mercy from the U.S., Israel, and other western powers. Very sad and short-sighted.

Sounds to me like the drumbeat is beginning again.

[bhikkhu]

5. Ahmadinejad is not Iran

Far from it. A good article, but it perpetuates the simplistic media fascination with Ahmadinejad as some sort of powerful dictator. He was elected in a rather shady way, but he is much more a player on the stage than he is a director.

[bemildred]

6. I agree. He is not really that impressive in any way I can think of.

Berlusconi-like is what he is. But everybody loves to talk about him.

[Joanne98]

7. The MSM is cheerleading us to war again!

[chimpymustgo]

8. Yes...it's that old familiar...drumbeat.