Posted on 09/28/2014 6:01:52 PM PDT by blam
DAVID FRUM, The Atlantic
September 28, 2014
If there has been one consistent theme to the Obama administrations foreign policy, it has been the yearning for some kind of deal with the ruling Iranian regime.
President Obama reportedly sent a sequence of messages to Irans supreme ruler, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the early months of 2009. The U.S. president held his tongue during the first 10 days of violently repressed protests against the falsified Iranian presidential election of 2009. Obama resisted the tough Kirk-Menendez sanctions against Irans central bank until the Senate approved them on a vote of 100-0. When nuclear negotiations with the rulers of Iran failed to yield results by the declared deadline, the administration extended the deadline and the sanctions relief Iran receives for as long as negotiations continue.
Little has come of all these attempts, for the uncomplicated reason that the rulers of Iran are not much interested in them. Or, to put it a little more complexly, the rulers of Iran value other priorities more highly than they value any benefit that might come from improving relations with the United States.
The rulers of Iran value other priorities more highly than they value any benefit that might come from improving relations with the United States.
Theres a line of argument among certain foreign-policy types that imagines Iran as an Open Sesame kind of problem: Just intone the right verbal formula, and the obstructions will all roll away. Its proponents claim that the rulers of Iran and the United States might have reached a rapprochement after 9/11 if only the Bush administration had not labeled the ruling Iranian regime as part of the axis of evil
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Don’t forget VJ is running obozo’s foreign policy ...
bump
The only reason, IMO.
Could also be part of Obama’s “flexibility” with Russia since Iran is backed by Russia to some extent.
JV
It is so strange seeing David Frum be hardline.
I wish he could be this way more consistently.
Valeri Jarrett
Another one of amazing “failures to mention it” by somebody who wants to be taken seriously as an analyst. Like allthe MSM articles on the respiratory viruses sweeping the country that don’t mention the illegal immigrant surge
The U.S. is not yielding to Iran. The Obama Administration is working to strengthen Iran and weaken the U.S.
It has nothing to do with psychology. They are guilty of treason. There is no attempt to “find a solution to the problem”. Everything is calculated to increase to power of Iran and weaken and eventually destroy the U.S.
That’s it in a nutshell.
Good article. Couple of points. One, the mullahs’ regime is brutal, has a strong terrorist element (regardless of reformist/moderate factions within it), and largely is unpopular in iran. Equally, the regime isn’t what it used to be in 1979, referring to 444 days & hostages for example. It has learned to adapt, in many ways, in order to survive. Though the foundation of the regime is anti-american & western. So, no matter what takes place politically behind closed doors it has to maintain its anti-american stance outwardly. Two, the regime has been in power for some 35 yrs. It’s a wonder no US admin has taken serious action to overthrow it.
There was a major Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, with millions dying on each side.
We invaded Iraq and took out Saddam.
Iran may end up winning by taking over the Shi’ite parts of Iraq it wanted to control, as the saviors of the Shiah to protect them from the Sunni ISIS terrorists.
And we’re handing it too them.
Hey, now! A butthole is useful.
Did someone make a promise for the release of the hostages?
It WAS very sudden if you remember.
As far as i know & throughout, Carter admin was negotiating directly & via his proxies for their release. President Reagan’s election helped but wasn’t the only factor. In fact, my take is that Pres Reagan was the only one who have dealt effectively with the mullahs but with the Soviet situation back then i’m guessing he had a bigger fish to fry.
The iranian regime has ‘somewhat cordial’ relations with Russia only & wouldn’t dare antagonize them. Besides, Russia a Huge neighbor. The Russians so far as today’s iran is concerned aren’t into ‘regime change’ unless they feel directly threatened. If they ever felt threatened the iranian regime & more would be left in no doubt.
Could have
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