Let's Support President Obama in Stopping Iran

This week I have a piece on the web site of the Center for Security Policy detailing former deputy national security advisor Elliott Abrams' views on President Obama's chances of effectively employing sanctions to squeeze Iran's leadership as well as his take on possibilities if sanctions fail.

It was interesting to hear Abrams, one of President Bush's right hand men, say President Obama may have a better chance of making sanctions work, in part due to circumstance: Abrams pointed out that oil prices during the Bush years mitigated the sanctions' effect. However, President Obama may be better positioned to make sanctions against the government of Iran punishing and effective because, given the precipitous drop in oil prices, the money Iran rakes in cannot go as far these days in mitigating the sanctions' effect as it could during the Bush years. Abrams also seems to think our current President may have a better shot than President Bush did at bringing Russia and China on board.

The threat of a mad religious theocracy like the government of Iran becoming a nuclear power is far too serious an issue to allow partisan sentiment to cloud judgment. Not only has Iran's government declared a genocidal threat against Israel, but its obtaining a nuclear weapon would probably set off a nuclear arms race in a the Mideast and increase the likelihood of terrorists obtaining a nuclear weapons by five or ten times, in Abrams' analysis.

Let's hope Abrams is correct and President Obama's chances of preventing such a catastrophic scenario are better than President Bush's were. And let's support President Obama in using every advantage he may have - including his international popularity - in garnering support from other countries to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Comments

[Wozzeck]

Same tired old neocon talking points from an admirer of convicted felon Abrams.
"Abrams was heavily involved in the Iran-Contra scandal. In 1991, Abrams was indicted by the Iran-Contra special prosecutor for giving false testimony before Congress in 1987 about his role in illicitly raising money for the Nicaraguan Contras. He pleaded guilty to two lesser offenses of withholding information to Congress in order to avoid a trial and a possible jail term."

Just to whom we should be listening!t

[Ergon]

Israel needs to grow up.

[joeneri]

"A mad religious theocracy?" You mean like Likud? If Iran gets the bomb - which they are far from doing - that wouldn't set up an arms race in the Middle East, it would merely allow them to play catch-up to Israel.

As far as I'm concerned, the way to solve the Middle East problem is to shut down Israel, move them all to Austria and let them set up shop there. It's the Germans who owe the Jews a debt, not the Arabs or Persians.

And if they don't like Austria, give them Florida, where they are probably going to end up, anyway. Let them argue with the exiled Cubans and see how far that gets them.

[bigfro]

No one will be safe until the arabs free their people. No one willbe safe until the average citizen of Syria, Iraq, or Yemen can keep a decent job, send their kids to school, buy a house, and live normal lives. As long as we have millions of poor kids sitting on the street corner with no money, no jobs, and no chance for even a glimpse a t a beautiful woman that might change their anger to love there can be no peace. I know you all are unconvincable and you'll assume that i'm a neocon because I don't hate Israel and wish for their deaths. I am a liberal who believes in a lasting peace, but that would take making the arabs take responsibility for their contribution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. No you all expect them to shut up and die or spend their lives in bomb shelters even after a peace deal. Or you expect a peace deal where the Palestinians get both countries because of the BS right of return. They are a people with Jordanian roots. let them return there. Oh wait Jordan is 94% Palestinan,but the15% that are seen as connected to Israel's clan are kept in camps in Jordan. Many of you will say Jordan isn't 94% Palestinan,LOOK IT UP! Don't trust dictators to teach you history.

[bigfro]

Even if Iran wipes out the entire country of Israel including the couple of million arabs, Israel has enough nuclear subs and planes to completely wipe out Iran. The nuclear fallout from those two attacks could kill every plant on the earth and doom us all. It's funny how you supposed peacenicks support this option. If Israel dissapeared tomorrow there would still be close to 30% unemployment in these totalitarian regimes. Woman would still be persecuted, attacks in Europe and the US would replace attacks on Israel. After all a totalitarian regime needs to give their people someone to blame. There are over a billion arabs in the middle east and like 7 million Jews.

[NickJones]

"Mad religious theocracy"? As opposed to all those irreligious theocracies? (You left yourself open for that one.) Khameini is much more moderate than Khomeini was; perhaps the similarity of names is confusing you. And must it be said, once again, that Ahmadinejad is a figurehead with no real political power? His ranting carries as much weight as that of your typical local cable access wingnut spouting off about the Illuminati.
If you mean 'mad' as in 'angry', Iran might be a little less ticked off if Kermit Roosevelt and the CIA hadn't forced out Mossadegh and replaced him with the Shah and Savak. If you mean it as in 'crazy', then there are much more frightening examples out there. Besides our current North Korean boogeyman, we've got the Taliban/Al Qaeda sympathisers of Pakistan's ISI, and the newly empowered, murderous Hindu fundamentalists, staring at each other over the potential battlefield of Kashmir, looking for an excuse to pull the nuclear trigger.

[perk]

I am confused, why would a country you describe as a "mad religious theocracy like the government of Iran ..." suddenly give up the quest for the ultimate weapon because we "negotiated" with them? I cannot see by what path you could logically reach that conclusion.

Historically, the negotiating process of this kind has no purpose other than to establish a legal basis for going to war. A "going through the motions" if you will. Any other view of it is a nice, polyannaish fantasy with no basis in history, logic or facts.

[cb287]

Quoting Elliot Abrams and claiming non-partisanship? This post fell apart from the outset.

A mad religious theocracy? Since they've invaded how many countries and started how many wars since 1979? Oh yes, zero.

[bigfro]

They've been sending agents and weapons to Israel for 20 years. Israel has never attacked Iran though. This has been documented with proof thousands of times. Again I know you hate Israel, but nuclear war won't bring peace.

[Hass]

More NeoCon talking points.

"Stopping Iran" from doing what? Building a perfectly legal nuclear program that started with the full support and encouragement of the United States in the first place because it makes economic sense, and for which there is absolutely no evidence that it is being used to make bombs? Why is it that Iran's non-existent nukes will cause proliferation in the Mideast and not Israel's existing nukes?

When will we be "stopping" Israel from massacring civilians and selling US military technology to China, and spying on the US?

PS - Iran has survived previous drops in oil prices too. Like it or not, the people of Iran massively support their nuclear program and resent foreigners from trying to deprive them of their sovereign rights.

[BassMonk]

What you said. Spot on.

[artisthawk]

President Obama would do well to listen to other authorities on Iran such as Mr. Baer. He believes The US needs to open wide ranging talks with Iran. Iran is a patient country wishing to build empire in the Middle East . It will wait for a nuclear weapon capability while it quietly makes inroads into each country as the protector, and helper, while we go broke trying to sustain ourselves until we have to leave. Do we want to be in a 30 year war? We are the outsiders. Iran has positioned itself well in countries there and continues to make inroads. Iran has the money to rebuild Iraq. Best to be firm but negotiate with Iran. Right now Rafsahnjani want s respect as a major player.

[marylinpitz]

Ms. R: I am also in favor of any deal that can be struck, or method employed, to control the madman in Iran. Thanks for sharing the info from Elliot Abrams, and thanks for the independent, non-partisan point of view. We need to pull together and support our President. --Marylin Pitz