US Boxed in After Iran Surprise: Analysts

Space War ^ | December 5, 2007 | Staff Writers

[america4vr]

The threat of war with Iran has ebbed and with new UN sanctions now an even harder sell, the United States has scant options even if it were to reverse course and engage Tehran, experts say.

President George W. Bush insists that Iran remains a threat despite Monday's appraisal by US intelligence that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, a change of heart that has sent shockwaves around the world.

Ray Takeyh, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that in light of the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE): "The military option is not just off the table, it's out the window."

Russia and China all but ruled out fresh UN sanctions against Iran after the NIE, which for Takeyh was evidence of today's US spy leaders refusing to "roll over" to the Bush White House after skewed intelligence before the Iraq war.

The NIE undermined the case presented by Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney that Iran poses an imminent threat that might require a military response, said Bruce Riedel, a former presidential advisor on Middle East affairs.

"A unilateral US military attack on Iran is off the table now, no matter what Bush says about 'all options are open'," Riedel, a Brookings Institution analyst, said.

"Russia and China have been vindicated in their argument that Iran does not have a weapons program. They will not support new sanctions now," he added.

"So, a bilateral dialogue makes sense," Riedel said.

"Will Bush do it? He will face pressure from the Democrats to be flexible but also pressure from the neo-cons to hang tough. My guess is he will not, and leave it to the next president to come up with a new approach."

[G8 Diplomat]

Iran’s military has the world fooled

Indeed. Iran's military is hilariously ridiculous

[captnorb]

Our own state department

[ctdonath2]

In the world of military intelligence and international diplomacy, very little of what is really going on need be exposed to the world at large. These news items are probably just part of the game, and our approval or outrage is being played as part of a larger, unrevealed, strategy.

[america4vr]

Yes, of course. That’s always been true, about many things.

[america4vr]

The counter-intuitive, contrarian perspective in the way we humans respond to life.
The mind resolving not to lose control responding with wither the mindset of the optimist where
everything is going to be all right, nothing to fret about or the mindset of the fatalist, where there's
nothing I can do, my life as fated is preordained and there's no need to fret because there's nothing
I can do anyway.

[justa-hairyape]

Each of these factions has its own reason for the existence of a nuclear Iran, and one of them is to block further attempts at an American world empire.

Fools. It is not about American Empire. It is about keeping nukes out of the hands of terrorists, which is an important goal for every civilization on the planet. If Iran is nuclear, so is Hezbollha (remember how shocked the Israelis were when Hezbollha deployed an anti-ship cruise missile). How many large cities are the DC Marxist Cabalists prepared to see destroyed ? A righteous and just world would hold them personally responsible for the lives that will be lost.

[Irish Eyes]

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR

Never heard that before. I like it.