The US plan on Iran
On a day when Iran announced the opening of a heavy water reactor, US diplomacy on Iran has completely broken down. The Russians have refused to allow sanctions through the Security Council, probably with China's quiet backing, leaving the US with no real plan B.
The LATimes is reporting that the US may try to "forge an alliance" outside the UN to punish Iran, (Reuters summary) but looking at the shrinking "coalition of the willing in Iraq," the only real threat the US can pose is cutting off the Iranian's supply of fish from Tuvalu, or maybe the tube socks they import from El Salvador.
We are being outplayed on diplomacy in the middle east. The ideologues like Bolton and the Bush loyalists like Rice are just not very good. They're not respected; they're not feared. And with a black and white/good and evil foreign policy behind them, they have no power, no ability to negotiate.
I mean, look at this analysis piece at BBC. The UN Security Council resolution on the deployment in Lebanon was written to allow the policing of the Syrian border to be determined solely by the Lebanese government. A threat to shut down it's border with Lebanon may be enough to throw out that possibility.
The Syrians are winning. The Iranians are winning. The Russians are winning. The Venezuelans are winning. The Chinese are winning......
The LATimes is reporting that the US may try to "forge an alliance" outside the UN to punish Iran, (Reuters summary) but looking at the shrinking "coalition of the willing in Iraq," the only real threat the US can pose is cutting off the Iranian's supply of fish from Tuvalu, or maybe the tube socks they import from El Salvador.
We are being outplayed on diplomacy in the middle east. The ideologues like Bolton and the Bush loyalists like Rice are just not very good. They're not respected; they're not feared. And with a black and white/good and evil foreign policy behind them, they have no power, no ability to negotiate.
I mean, look at this analysis piece at BBC. The UN Security Council resolution on the deployment in Lebanon was written to allow the policing of the Syrian border to be determined solely by the Lebanese government. A threat to shut down it's border with Lebanon may be enough to throw out that possibility.
The Syrians are winning. The Iranians are winning. The Russians are winning. The Venezuelans are winning. The Chinese are winning......
posted by mikevotes at
6:52 AM
4 Comments:
'Plan B' is an invasion of Iran. They didn't need UN approval for Iraq, they just called the UN irrelevant and did as they pleased. Think they won't do the same for Iran? Think again.
By
Anonymous, at 8:27 AM
anon, I think they would if they had the troop strength. But they don't.
By
abi, at 12:52 PM
I'm gonna pick the middle here.
I'm not sure the US could ground invade without something more from the UN than what's on the books now, but I don't rule out the possibility of an air attack. There are tons of air assets in theater which could easily be rerouted/targeted to Iran.
I'm not saying I think it's a good idea with 135,00 US troops exposed in Iraq or without the credible threat of follow-on ground forces into Iran(not to mention probably being ineffective), but I think bombing only is the most likely possibility. It would be doubling down on a bad bet.
And, that would meet with serious repurcussions from the Russian China axis.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 1:24 PM
Charles Rangel has a draft resolution in committee now. Which will probably be passed immediately following the elections. Iran is never far from the neofascist agenda.So I'd agree with ol' anonymous there(probably because it was me, logging in incorrectly).
By
Lew Scannon, at 2:51 PM
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