[68skylark]

The permalink is here.

For more from The Belmont Club, click here.

[68skylark]

It looks like the future may be bumpy. Military affairs may play a larger and larger role in our future -- our Global War on Terrorism may be just a small, opening prelude compared to the conflicts in front of us.

[papertyger]

Even after September 11 the only question for many was how soon history would return to normal after a temporary inconvenience. Little did they imagine that the expansion of the European Union, the Kyoto Agreements and Reproductive Rights -- all the preoccupations of their unshakable world -- might be the least of humanity's concerns in the coming years.

Pure gold!

To paraphrase a very smart man many FReepers know and love:

The graveyard is full of people who make linear assumptions in a non-linear world.

[TomSmedley]

Ultimately, nothing less than creating moderate self-government in Iraq, Iran, and other states in the region will bring lasting peace and nonproliferation.

Actually, nothing less than the discrediting of Islam, on a massive scale, followed up by successful evangelization of the former muslims, will suffice. I suspect that this may happen after Mecca becomes a glowing crater.

[Boundless]

> The basic premise is that it probably impossible for
> the US to stop an Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,
> short of a full-scale invasion.

That might be a useful premise for some war game, but
I disagree with it as a broad conclusion.

If we act soon.

[MichaelP]

There is a pretty big assumption here that Israel won't act....

Mike

[Rocko]

Bump.

[OldCorps]

bump to read later

[livius]

This conceptual blindness prevented foreign ministries, academics or the United Nations -- the very name a testament to the limits of its sensibility -- from understanding that sub-national units under the banner of a world religion could arise to challenge the established international order. It was simply impossible, and yet it was. In retrospect all the signs were there.

Excellent article, as usual.

However, he himself fails if he believes that Islam will be content with another Cold War or stalemate situation. Either we attack them - represented by Iran - or they attack us, sooner rather than later. Anybody who believes Islam will simply hang out and wait doesn't know the history of Islam, which only retreats to its hole when it gets its teeth kicked down its throat.

[Cyber Liberty]

This may require a full-scale nuclear attack. Boy, it's going to suck being Persian.

[GOPJ]

bump

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Second, an ever more nuclear-ready Iran will try to lead the revolutionary Islamic vanguard throughout the Islamic world by becoming the main support for terrorist organizations aimed against Washington’s key regional ally, Israel; America’s key energy source, Saudi Arabia; and Washington’s prospective democratic ally, Iraq.

BUMP