Before discuss the highly stupid thing some US politicians and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are doing to kill the nuclear deal Iran just signed with the P5+1, let’s quickly review what happened since July 14.
Even with the absence of any current evidence which points to Iran owning, developing or even desiring a nuclear weapon, the country signed an agreement, strengthened by verifiable benchmarks, where they will not use their currently lawful nuclear research program to develop military-grade weapons through the year 2025.
In return for Iran not pursuing ownership of the weapons it didn’t want in the first place, they will see a loosening of Western-imposed economic sanctions—a move which will help Iran ramp-up its domestic as well as regional economic development engine.
Yet, Saudi Arabia and Israel are not only fuming over this agreement, but the latter—and here comes the stupid part—is also leaning on a few US legislator friends to derail the deal.
I wrote a few months ago that the failure to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program would result in a war.
This is why, for all my criticism of President Obama and his Middle East policy, I give him props on this issue. Economic sanctions rarely bring peace, and typically leads to the affected country being either a military aggressor, or the inevitable target for an invasion or proxy war.
You’re trying to think of examples to the contrary, aren’t you?
Did economic sanctions against Cuba work?
America ended up invading Iraq in 2003—despite the sanctions placed against the latter.
US sanctions against Japan led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, which eventually resulted in the US dropping two atomic bombs on a matching number of Japanese cities…
…Even though strong indications pointed to Japan’s willingness to surrender to the US—before those A-bombs dropped…
But—that’s not this story…
Back on topic: “…typically leads to the affected country being either a military aggressor, or an inevitable target for invasion or a proxy war.”
My guess is that Obama perfectly understands how unless regime change in Iran is his goal—which would also mean he’s willing to accept the highly dangerous risks from destabilizing one of the region’s few stable countries—an agreement that temporarily prohibits the Islamic Republic from building a bomb is the best option for pursuit.
After all, no current evidence exists which points to Iran owning, developing or even desiring a nuclear weapon…
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current efforts to destroy this nuclear deal and ignore the opinions of other Israeli security experts serve as a reminder that his idea of resolving the Iran nuclear issue is more dramatic.
Netanyahu would like to see a deal which prohibits Iran from having any nuclear power—where pretty much X-ray machines would get a side-eyed glance from him—despite Iran’s right to develop nuclear power under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
And in a grand case of scope creep, Netanyahu wants a deal which doesn’t lift sanctions and allows Iran access to more loot Y’know, Iran finding more money to save Syria President Bashar al-Assad’s regime by purging the Islamic State, moderate jihadists rebels and the hundreds of armed gangs from Syria isn’t exactly aligned with Netanyahu’s interests.
No one is saying it, so I will—the only deal Netanyahu would support is regime change in Iran. With the help of the US military, of course.
And that’s where the US Congress comes in.
Any attempt by Congress to stop this deal from happening means they don’t mind sending your family members to die in a war where freedom is not at stake.
Saudi Arabia has arguably done more to threaten US interests, but do you hear talk about bombs falling over Riyadh?
And there’s only one reason why some members of Congress want to send your loved ones to Iran and potentially die: much of the political campaign money used to help put these legislators in a position to start a war against some imaginary threat to freedom came from wealthy donors who stand to gain plenty from a war with Iran.
It’s time to not allow Netanyahu and his friends to be the only voices heard in this discussion…
song currently stuck in my head: “tune up” – sonny stitt quartet
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