Posted on 09/27/2008 6:27:26 AM PDT by Fennie
THE new president will have one modestly useful extra resource, a bipartisan report commissioned by two former US senators and written primarily by Middle East expert Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute. The Weekend Australian has obtained a copy of the report, to be released later this week. Before I got the report, I had a long discussion with Rubin.
Rubin is a Republican, but the report he wrote was the consensus work of a bipartisan taskforce that includes Dennis Ross, Obama's key Middle East adviser.
The report is sobering and in some ways shocking reading. It begins baldly: "A nuclear weapons capable Islamic Republic of Iran is strategically untenable."
It points to the disastrous consequences of an Iran with nuclear weapons: "Iran's nuclear development may pose the most significant strategic threat to the US during the next administration.
"A nuclear ready or nuclear-armed Islamic Republic ruled by the clerical regime could threaten the Persian Gulf region and its vast energy resources, spark nuclear proliferation throughout the Middle East, inject additional volatility into global energy markets, embolden extremists in the region and destabilise states such as Saudi Arabia and others in the region, provide nuclear technology to other radical regimes and terrorists (although Iran might hesitate to share traceable nuclear technology), and seek to make good on its threats to eradicate Israel.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
ping
if polls are to be believed half the American public and all of europe wants a US president whose solution is to sit down face-to-face and talk Ahmadinejad out of being a delusional international sociopath
Thank you for posting this very thoughtful, fact-filled article. Very sobering indeed.
No s***. Isn’t it great that we’ve been addressing the problem with countless sanctions! It’s also nice that Russia says they’re on board with us. When Iran has the bomb and starts an eternal proxy war between Israel and Lebanon and destabilizes all the other countries in the middle east, and regularly engages in wanton terrorism and sabre rattling against europe, Russia can take some time off from harassing the old soviet block, US and admonish Iran severely! They way I see it, we’ve got this problem all sewed up. Nothing to see here. Move along.
Thanks for posting the harsh dose of reality. Problem from hell is an apt description. Going to be tough sledding going forward for the next administration.
not just for this next administration - but for this world.
That kind of goes without saying. If America is to maintain it’s leadership in the world, the next administration will have its policy work cut out for it.
Would be an Obama in the White House, along with his entourage.
He'd make the Clinton Duo presidency appear right wing.
The report is sobering and in some ways shocking reading. It begins baldly: "A nuclear weapons capable Islamic Republic of Iran is strategically untenable." It points to the disastrous consequences of an Iran with nuclear weapons..
There is only _one_ course of action that will stop Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilties.
And EVERYone knows what that is.
The question is - and remains: will we persue that course before it becomes too late?
- John
Iran won't forgo its nuclear ambitions without some massive "persuasion" and no nation or group of nations is up to the job, except for us. It will depend on our president's leadership.
I don't think it's politically possible at the present time to occupy Iran, given the state of our military commitments and public opinion, but if we could seize the Iranian oilfields along the Gulf we could probably starve out Iran's current regime. The trick would be to keep the oil flowing to avoid spiking crude prices. The main goal should be a regime change brought about by the Iranian people which ends support for terrorism.
“seek to make good on its threats to eradicate Israel.”
0bama never mentioned Israel in the debate. McCain did, at least 3 times.
Yes, it is. Iran has been a major problem for decade upon decade. My beginning time for learning about Iran was when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. I still have the newspaper clippings. I began reading much more about Iran. And through the ensuing years observed the world community think it could find polite, civil ways of dealing with this bully, recalcitrant, backwards country. Iran continued to get away with its thug behavior; and factions in the surrounding areas saw no one standing up to the Thug, and decided they too could be thugs and no one would stop 'em.
And this is why going to Afghanistan and Iraq, finally, was and is so important.
You'll never get a socialist or liberal to understand this, they've all been programmed by ESTian indoctrination: that to harmed and hurt by someone bigger and more aggressive means one is loved, selected above all others. I've no doubts every time Iran threatens to wipe out Israel, a liberal somewhere is swooning -- See how much Iran loves Israel! We acknowledge they are the land of the "Chosen" see how Iran acknowledges this too?"
Snort.
Democrats are the party of Battered Women's Syndrome. They get off on being rocked and socked, and because they ARE the battered children of America demanding more of the same. And they keep thinking they can rewrite, replay the scenarios of their own lives through "negotiating" with brutes.
What they see as "negotiating" is really appeasement. Or in Bill Clinton's case, ignoring the terrorist problem and hoping it will just go away.
Very good observation. I'm sure that wasn't lost on Joe Leiberman.
Bump and ping.
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