Tag: iran

The Inevitable War With Iran

One might regard the pledges made to Israel and its friends in the United States by aspiring presidential candidates as pro forma and vaguely amusing, but that would be a mistake. Policy commitments, even if they are lightly entered into, are a serious matter with real-world consequences. At the moment, the obligation to Israel goes … Continue reading “The Inevitable War With Iran”

Harsh Rhetoric About Iran Isn’t Helping

Nothing is certain except for death and taxes. But in campaign season, it’s awfully predictable that Democratic politicians will do a little chest-thumping about foreign policy. As the 2012 presidential contest approaches, the Obama administration is ratcheting up its rhetoric against Iran, right on cue. First, the Justice Department lodged the allegation — based on … Continue reading “Harsh Rhetoric About Iran Isn’t Helping”

Saudi Warning Could Escalate Nuclear Arms Race

The world’s nuclear powers – both declared and undeclared – have come primarily from Asia: China, India, Pakistan and possibly North Korea. The Middle East was dominated by a single nuclear power – Israel, which has refused to publicly declare its status.  But that domination has been threatened by Iran, which the Western powers say … Continue reading “Saudi Warning Could Escalate Nuclear Arms Race”

Washington’s Secret Wars

Following the widely reported Iranian government plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington and alarming new reports of civilian deaths in Syria, the White House has issued several findings to the intelligence community authorizing stepped-up covert action against both Damascus and Tehran. A “finding” is top-level approval for secret operations considered to be particularly … Continue reading “Washington’s Secret Wars”

Iran’s Growing Isolation a Dubious Win for the West

Scenes from Tehran Tuesday of bearded Iranian youth swarming over the walls of the British embassy evoked memories of the 1979-81 hostage crisis that created the image of Iran as a pariah state. But the incidents vary in ways that are more worrisome for international peace than the seizure of the U.S. embassy by radical … Continue reading “Iran’s Growing Isolation a Dubious Win for the West”

The Folly of Sanctions

Many people have the misconception that sanctions are an effective means to encourage a change of behavior in another country without war. However, sanctions and blockades are not only acts of war according to international law, they are most often the first step toward a real war, starting with a bombing campaign. Sanctions were the … Continue reading “The Folly of Sanctions”

No, Really, Iran Isn’t Developing Nuclear Weapons

It’s just as easy for a nuclear disarmament advocate as a hawk to believe that a state such as Iran that has not only established a nuclear energy program but also experimented with nuclear weapons until 2003 is still developing them. Nevertheless, however much Tehran may experience lust in its heart for nuclear weapons, the … Continue reading “No, Really, Iran Isn’t Developing Nuclear Weapons”

Iraq All Over Again?

For at least the past two decades, political leaders in the United States and Israel have warned that Iran was on the threshold of building a nuclear weapon. From what we’ve been hearing lately from the media, Iran is once again … on that threshold. Touting thousands of pages of carefully vetted intelligence, menacing satellite … Continue reading “Iraq All Over Again?”

Return of the War Party?

Is a vote for the Republican Party in 2012 a vote for war? Is a vote for Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich a vote for yet another unfunded war of choice, this time with a nation, Iran, three times as large and populous as Iraq? Mitt says that if elected he will move carriers into … Continue reading “Return of the War Party?”