In light of the damning IAEA report released in November, showing no equivocation regarding Iranian intentions for producing nuclear weapons, it is high time that the United States and Israel abandon their current policies and adopt a new joint strategy.
Since 1993 I have been calling attention to the potential of a nuclear Iran, perhaps the most dangerous development in our region. Today we all understand that if Iran achieves nuclear military power, it is only a matter of time, a few years, before Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey will reach nuclear capacity as well.
For Israel, that scenario is nothing short of a strategic nightmare. We will be surrounded not only by a nuclear Iran and the long-range missiles of its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and Gaza; but by three new nuclear states as well. What they have in common is an authoritarian regime, overwhelmingly influenced by radical Islamist movements.
As tough as this neighborhood has been, Israel has survived due to its military superiority. Should the region go nuclear, that superiority will be lost and Israel's disappearance is a matter of time. No government in Jerusalem can afford to neglect this disturbing reality; no government has the moral authority to allow this fate for our children.
The current Israeli government desperately needs support of friends in the international arena, and support of countries in the region which share the fear of Iran. Sadly, its political behavior, the courting and appeasing of extremist, violent settlers in the West Bank, has succeeded in isolating Israel at a time when collaboration and coordination of the highest order is called for.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, who takes great pride in securing the future of the Jewish people, is playing high stakes political games that are leaving Israel almost alone in confronting the Iranian threat. His "success" in turning the U.S. President into a hostage of cynical political maneuvers in an election year will, sadly, be proven to not only be counterproductive but as undermining our security well into the future.
The unprecedented record of support of President Obama to Israel's defense capabilities is well known in security circles, and undoubtedly by Netanyahu as well. The president has enabled the deployment of special early-warning radar in the Negev; the generous support for Israel's anti-missile defense projects ("Iron Dome", "David's Slinge", "Arrow-3") which dramatically helps the build-up of our anti-rocket, anti-missile shield; quick assistance during the attack on our Embassy in Egypt, are a just a few examples.
In the war against Islamist terrorism, Obama expended the use of precision-guided ammunition in a way no previous administration has before it. He didn't lecture us about punishing the arch-terrorists, he simply did it. These actions turned the world into a less dangerous place, for Israel as well.
These two achievements unquestionably upend the rightwing accusations that the US President "threw Israel under the bus".
But, unfortunately, Obama has adopted an approach of near total passivity on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moreover, he went out of his way to punish the Palestinian Authority for the "unpardonable sin" of trying to obtain UN recognition. This misguided policy will not encourage peace in the Middle East, nor will it convince Jewish voters who oppose him.
What is called for is an assertive policy and sustained commitment of action, even during an election year. This means vis-à-vis Iran, too. In July 2010 President Obama signed into law tough sanctions against companies involved in energy trade with Iran. Between July and October 2010 several major international companies cut their business with Iran. But since October 2010 not a single important company did so. Why? Because the energy companies quickly learned that the sanctions are not really being implemented. For a short time following the unveiling of the plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador, there were rumors that real "crippling sanctions" are underway, including a boycott of the Iranian central bank. The recently declared sanctions are partial and not sufficient.
Instead, official Washington continues to toy with the naïve illusion of "re-educating Tehran". I heard such beliefs in a closed forum with a senior State Department official who spoke about the hope that Iran will "return to the way of engagement" and "will restore its international commitments". Even as he spoke, American soldiers were being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan by Iran-made IED's.
Time is against the United States and against Israel. It is not only the Iranian bomb. The possible resignation of Abu-Mazen, dissolving of the PA which may follow it and the strengthening of Hamas, may drag Israel to a position where it has to toughen the occupation. If so, it will become even more isolated than it is today and the last chance to remain a Jewish democratic state will be lost forever. This is a warning call to all who sincerely love Israel: you cannot remain complacent.
The U.S. policy has to change. Three measures should be implemented immediately:
- Boycott Iran's central bank.
- Punish Iran's major energy partners.
- Ban imports to the U.S. of all products originating from Iranian oil ("Iranian-oil-free Zone").
These sanctions if seriously implemented will accelerate the collapse of the repressive regime in Tehran, which is viscerally hated by the Iranian people. And, Israel will be exempted of the need to take military action against Iran, with all its repercussions.
At the same time, the Israeli government should be required to immediately start negotiations with the Palestinian President about borders and security within a limited time frame. Building in the settlements will be strictly frozen as long as the negotiations take place. It is a fair deal to prevent the catastrophe which now looks unavoidable.
The U.S. has to step up now. Get two-state negotiations moving again. Deny the regime of the ayatollahs nuclear weapons. Don't let Israel's "last resort" be its only resort.
Ephraim Sneh, a retired IDF General, served twice as Israel's Deputy Minister of Defense. Currently he is the Chairman of S. Daniel Abraham Center for Strategic Dialogue at the Netanya Academic College.
North Korea has peeved American Neocons and still remains and does so because it has nuclear weapons. Iraq was attacked because it did not. What is important to note is that the powers behind the attack against Iraq knew that there was no WMD's.
The real power in Iran knows that should Iran actually launch one nuke it would be obliterated. Like North Korea its security lies in having the nukes and not using them. Like North Korea once Iran has an established Nuclear arsenal. It would be free from an Iraq type of attack seeking regime change, and would be offered all sorts of inducements not to expand the program further, like what happened to North Korea.
The real strength in Iran possessing nukes, is not in their offensive capabilities because as i have stated to use them would mean their own destruction. The real strength lies in that Iran will like North Korea be left alone.
Its a naive thought if you think Iran wants nukes to be cool. They have a purpose and let me tell you, its not pro western either.
Pakistan. Disaster
Palestinians. Disaster
Jordan's. Going nowhere
Egypt. Disaster
Next
-" Boycott Iran's central bank". [except the US has no relationship with the Iran central bank and those that deal with the Iran central bank, China for one, will just ignore the US and the US has ZERO ability to do anything to the Chinese central bank]
- "Punish Iran's major energy partners." [China will just tell the US and Israel to go F*** themselves and the US and Israel will just have to quietly go away in humiliation since China has the ability to completely destroy both the US and Israel.]
- "Ban imports to the U.S. of all products originating from Iranian oil ("Iranian-oil-free Zone")." [The US does not import Iranian oil products, but even if this is in place, Iran can just whitewash their oil through Iraq - that is Iraq will just sell Iranian oil as theirs]
I can understand why Israelis are so frustrated because Iran has successfully checkmated Israel and the US. Anything the US and Israel try, will just severely damage the US and Israel.
http://presstv.com/detail/216903.html
What Americans hear in Zionist controlled media in US is the version of the story that supports new wars in middle story.
If I remember correctly this guy, Blix, had told that there was no WMD in Iraq before the invasion of Iraq.
Now he says that there are no WMD in Iran.
Who should we believe, the people who lied about WMDs in Iraq to start a war, or the people who were right about Iraq?
Do you doubt that Saddam has WMD? Maybe you'd like us all to find out, "in the form of a mushroom cloud".
Iran’s means of defensive retaliation are another story, yet still not an existential threat to Israel/US. If Iran had the magic weapon tomorrow, it would still be the first nation in the history of this planet to commit suicide by a FIRST attack. This is a regime with the main objective of survival. Who’s going to rob the Iranian people if the regime commits self-destruction?
The Persian Gulf Arab rulers are more afraid of their own people and Iran is a convenient boogieman.
The Islamic regime’s behavior has been more of a reaction to outside threats, which have increased its longevity, while maintaining enough internal stability to operate its resource looting machine.
The 99 percent is a different group.
Now, all he has to do, is to convince the Israeli electorate that he is right, and they should follow him.
I also agree that the Israeli/Palestinian issue is tightly bound into this equation, and a lasting resolution to that issue is critical to effectively containing Iranian ambitions. The author's willingness to connect the dots on this show his understanding of the bigger picture - and that is what makes this article more than just some neocon terror piece.
I would debate some of the author's points, or at least the tenor of how he expressed them, but I cannot disagree with the overall thesis.
The Gulf Arabs problem with Iran has more to do with their large population of Shia Muslims that live under their oppressive regimes as 3rd class citizens after imported Suni workers and soldiers, and has been exasperated thanks to US invasion of Iraq that replaced Saddam with an Iran friendly Shia government.
I also don't see Iranian nuclear program as a dangerous. Early in the so called nuclear crisis, Iran suspended its program and signed the additional protocols as confidence building measures. Instead, US demanded complete shut down of the program and lobbied for UN sanctions in 2005. There is no proof that Iranian program is either a crash program or there is any nuclear weapon program. However, since we have waged an economic, political and covert war combined with threats of military action, if I were the Iranian government, even if I didn't want a nuke 5 years ago, I'd want a few for protection today.
I also don't think it is credible to say that Sunni and Shia nations are not inherently in opposition to each other. America has done its level best to play them off each other, of course, but these nations are perfectly capable of waging war with each other without American meddling. One can't blame America for that, although one can certainly claim America made it worse.
As to American knee-jerk diplomacy against Iran, I agree with you that America cannot see Iran objectively. We are Israel's puppet when it comes to this issue. However, I will disagree with you that Iran can be trusted to do the right thing. I firmly believe that Iran wants a weapon, and always has.
Let's be clear. I am no Israeli apologist. You can read my other posts here on HP for yourself if you don't believe me. Nor do I think there is any conceivable way Israel could be destroyed. Harmed, yes, much bloodshed, yes, but another genocide? Nope, not possible. Israel has the weaponry to defend itself from any attack. Likewise the USA. So my concerns about Iran are not out of some paranoia of a nuclear attack.
However, I trust Iran even less than I trust Israel to do the right thing, and I don't trust Israel hardly at all. Keeping nuclear weapons out of Tehran's hands is in almost everyone's interests, from my point of view.
How to do that? Well that's the $64K question isn't it. It's not worth starting a major war over it. But it is certainly worth at least considering everything short of violence.
that has nothing to do with the problem of containing Iran
In 1967, Israel was saved from using the Sampson Option by BRAVE tank crews.
Do yourself a favor, and Google 'Sampson Option', and see what it means.
PS: 'Sampson Option' is the main reason that Israel should sign the NPT and give up its nukes.
What's wrong with a whole onslaught of stuxnet type attacks? No one dies and the problem is solved...I doubt you'll find anyone more capable of this sort of thing than Israelis....