It must be very depressing to be Barack Obama these days. Daily, the media and politicians from both sides of the aisle are critical of the administration’s foreign policy tactics. The Iran negotiations relating to its nuclear development program are currently front and center.
American negotiators agreed to a four-month extension of the Iran nuclear talks. The deadline for substantive concessions by Iran has passed and the U.S., once again, allowed another enemy to step across a line “drawn in the sand.” It’s difficult to be specific, but it appears that Iran is continuing to move towards the development of a nuclear weapons capability while it applies its latest version of “rope a dope” delays. You can figure out who the dope is.
The “mumbo” from the mouths of the Iranian government is exasperated by the “jumbo” from the president and John Kerry. The only thing that is definite is that the U.S. released $2 billion plus in Iranian cash for the extension of negotiations. All the blathering about centrifuges, which enable Iran to crate weapons grade material is impossible to decipher by all of us mere mortals. So, I conclude that the U.S. paid Iran to agree to a delay.
The Iran government lead by its all-powerful clergy believes it has a “divine” right to develop a nuclear bomb. The rest of the world, led by the U.S. and Israel, believe such a capability creates an existential threat to Israel.
The fact is no nation, especially those that border Iran, should be sleeping comfortably. If Iran successfully develops a bomb and the ability to deliver it, the Middle East will be a much more dangerous place, if that’s even possible. Fortunately, Gaddafi and Hussein were unable to develop a bomb. If either had, does anyone doubt that these men would use it in a fit of rage?
The Iran clerics are not that different than past despots from where I stand. Iran has gleefully participated in all of the regional hassles between Shiite and Sunni factions (Iran supports Shiite causes). Why wouldn’t Iran use the clout of a nuke to bully its neighbors? Why wouldn’t it employ a nuke in a limited way to eliminate an enemy? Who is going to stop Iran when it has a nuke in its arsenal?
Frankly, I don’t care if Iran has a right to build weapons of mass destruction. Iran is our enemy, and the enemy of about half of the Arab world (the Sunnis). I do not trust the Iranians to be responsible with such power.
Besides a preemptive military strike against Iran facilities producing nukes, there is another nonmilitary option. The U.S. should bankrupt Iran with sanctions unless they agree to end their nuclear aspirations.