Empty Diplomacy
Following up on the last post, Mohamed El Baradai, wants the foolish American cowboys to negotiate with Iran.
"Very unhelpful"? Hear me now and believe me later, American threats of military action are crucial to the negotiations. It's the classic game of good cop, bad cop; in fact, I almost suspect that that's the whole point of it all. The nice, fun, moderate, good cop forces of Britain, Germany, and France tell the mullahs: "Hey, you guys have to give up your nuclear weapons programs. If you don't, we can't stop that crazy cowboy, Bush, from doing something crazy. Come on, we're your friends, let's settle this peacefully." On the other side of the world, rumors of what is or isn't being done by American military forces in preparation for military action in Iran circulates around the world, while President Bush and Vice President Cheney say: "Hey, you! Moolahs! Give up your weapons or we'll come over there and smite you! We'll do it, too. Just look at Afghanistan and Iraq! If you're not careful, we'll teach your women to read!"
The mullahs aren't any different than Saddam. Saddam knew from years of experience that nobody was going to come into his country and hold him responsible for suppressing dissent, breaking international law, and stomping all over the inalienable rights of his people, so he did whatever he possibly could to circumvent the sanctions and get a hold of things he wasn't supposed to have. The mullahs think that the filthy American infidels can't do anything to them because the Americans are bogged down in the Iraqi "quagmire." In fact, the Iranian government, under these same mullahs, fund and train the "insurgents" that are killing people in Iraq on a daily basis, and all the while they develop their nuclear programs.
Am I saying that military intervention in Iran is necessary? Well, it might be, but for now, the mere fact that force is a credible threat will make the mullahs think twice about doing what Saddam Hussein and Colonel Muammar Qaddafi were doing before the cruise missiles starting flying into Baghdad in March of 2003. It's a credible threat of force that makes diplomacy credible in the first place.
The chief UN nuclear inspector on Sunday urged the United States to engage in dialogue with Iran over its nuclear program as he implicitly rebuked US leaders for discussing military options against the Islamic republic, saying such talk was "very unhelpful."
The comments by Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, followed remarks by US President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney earlier this month, in which they raised the possibility of military action in response to Tehran's alleged nuclear ambitions.
Bush told NBC News he "will never take any option off the table" when asked whether his administration was willing to consider a military solution if Iran continued to stonewall the international community about its suspected nuclear weapons program.
Cheney, appearing on a popular radio show three days later, suggested Israel might strike to shut down the country's clandestine nuclear facilities "without being asked."
"Very unhelpful"? Hear me now and believe me later, American threats of military action are crucial to the negotiations. It's the classic game of good cop, bad cop; in fact, I almost suspect that that's the whole point of it all. The nice, fun, moderate, good cop forces of Britain, Germany, and France tell the mullahs: "Hey, you guys have to give up your nuclear weapons programs. If you don't, we can't stop that crazy cowboy, Bush, from doing something crazy. Come on, we're your friends, let's settle this peacefully." On the other side of the world, rumors of what is or isn't being done by American military forces in preparation for military action in Iran circulates around the world, while President Bush and Vice President Cheney say: "Hey, you! Moolahs! Give up your weapons or we'll come over there and smite you! We'll do it, too. Just look at Afghanistan and Iraq! If you're not careful, we'll teach your women to read!"
The mullahs aren't any different than Saddam. Saddam knew from years of experience that nobody was going to come into his country and hold him responsible for suppressing dissent, breaking international law, and stomping all over the inalienable rights of his people, so he did whatever he possibly could to circumvent the sanctions and get a hold of things he wasn't supposed to have. The mullahs think that the filthy American infidels can't do anything to them because the Americans are bogged down in the Iraqi "quagmire." In fact, the Iranian government, under these same mullahs, fund and train the "insurgents" that are killing people in Iraq on a daily basis, and all the while they develop their nuclear programs.
Am I saying that military intervention in Iran is necessary? Well, it might be, but for now, the mere fact that force is a credible threat will make the mullahs think twice about doing what Saddam Hussein and Colonel Muammar Qaddafi were doing before the cruise missiles starting flying into Baghdad in March of 2003. It's a credible threat of force that makes diplomacy credible in the first place.
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