Letters to the Editor
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why Mr. Clemons is wrong
All the reasons Mr. Clemons gives for why Bush won't attack Iran are based on one false premise: that Bush is a rational person who rationally assesses the consequences of his actions.
This premise totally misses who Mr. Bush is. He is an unrecovered addict whose actions over the last 7 years have proved over and over that he has no conception of, nor concern for, the consequences of his actions. He is a Christian fanatic who believes it is his calling to fight a crusade in the Middle East against the Muslim infidels, and if that means triggering Armageddon well he's just OK with that. The history of the last 8 years also shows that he has surrounded himself with sycophants who have no interest in telling him the unpleasant facts of life.
The religious fanatics that are truly a threat to this country run things in Washington, and the threat they represent will not end with the innaurguration of another president.
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it is sad that "Anonymous" (pg 13)
can write such common sense and still be fearful of using his name. it is emblematic of the Decline of the West (Spengler, 1920). in that same year was Yeats' Second Coming, "The best lack all convictions, while the worst are full of passionate intensity". but at least Spengler was anti-nazi, Yeats was anti-anti-English, so pro-german. his "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" was only unconsciously prophetic.
what i see here is, Fear and Confusion and Guilt. i see none of that from the islamist side. there is a question here, To Act or not to Act. do we have something the world needs or is even thinking that, "triumphalist", "neo-colonialist", "corporate hegemonic"? there is another model, switzerland. or rather, denmark (switzerland does not admit refugees). we are all powerless pontificators but it would be more honest, intellectually, if we would at least imagine having real effect. so, you are in a lifeboat in the vast vast sea. do you paddle? somewhere? or just hope for the best?
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The "Accidental War" senario was tried recently!!
Wurmser's "accidental war" was tested few days ago with the Israeli bombing run of the alleged Syrian/Iranian base in the Syrian desert. but apparently failed since there was no response from either Syria or Iran(even though Iran on numerous occasions have said that if Syrian territory is attacked by Israel, Iran would come to its defense; basically the same kind of arrangement between US and Israel.)
The atmosphere that exists between US and Iran is very unfortunate, since it is very obvious to me that both countries actually need each other's assistance and cooperation to tackle a number of international issues among them Palestine/Israel, Afghanistan, Hizbalah in Lebanon, Al-Qaeda, Oil/Gas( Iran has the 2nd largest Oil and Gas deposits, only 30% of the countries territory has been exploited to find oil so far and is the only country that potentially can compete effectively with Russia in providing Gas to Europe), nuclear weapons proliferation and last but not least Iraq.
Iranians in general are among the most pro-US Moslem or non-moslem nation on the planet. At the time when assistance from other nations to fight global terrorism is of utmost importance, we should be extending and olive branch to them and not threatening them with war.
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Wrong and wronger
"The Mulitiple Win Scenarios
Iraq was a win-win-win scenario; oil, democracy, isolating Iran, the list is pretty long actually. That none of it came to fruition is a matter of timing and patience, one could say."
Or, if one looked at a map, one could say more accurately what Amb. Khalilzad said in early September: The US will be involved with Iraq for a shorter time or a longer time, but Iran will always be Iraq's neighbor. "Isolating Iran" is not the same as isolating N Korea: the people are smarter, they have an asset the rest of the world needs, they have ties to BOTH China and Russia.
"A defeat of Iran would break the the back of the radical Muslim world. Oh sure, a few discontents outside Iran would riot and throw molotov cocktails. Without a central government dedicated to their cause the protests would vanish quickly."
Wrong again. As Dore Gold explained in irrefutable detail, Saudi Arabia is the "back of the radical Muslim world." SA is the home base, and financial center, of Wahhabism, which is at the core of radical Islam. On the other hand, Many Iranians still nurture the ember of Zoroastrianism that was the original cultural identity of Persia; Iranian celebrations public and private, in the homeland and the diaspora, without fail include Zoroastrian references and customs. That religious deviance is one of the sources of discord between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Ray Takeyh has had some very useful things to say about Iran. The administration might do well to listen to voices that know Iran who are other than Blackwater and Mossad.
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Just another disaster
Bush is dumb enough to make more friendsw in the world by attacking Iran. The US forces are just not stressed enough and what else can we do with our atomic weapons? Bring democracy to another country ala Iraq? Sounds almost as if Adolf Hitler has has risen from the dead., he would have acted like this!!!
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eroonii, you offer something positive
HAD we "extended the olive branch" when we had routed iraq in no time flat, when iran wanted it, we could have. we should have called in the UN then. but bush was on a lucky streak and thought god was on his side. arrogant hubris? who could say no? we won and refused to accept it. now iran will only use diplomacy to stall and plot. after all, what interests does it have in syria or lebanon or the west bank? they are arab. it wants to be a player and the only way it knows is to promote misery. internally and externally. as for the recent israeli bombing of syria, i don't know what was behind it, who does? perhaps twenty years hence we will be given a clue. all i know is that all the higher level participants,israel, the U.S. and iran were in on it. i think we just lap up the gruel we are given. we don't know what's in it - ever.