Web Logs
1/21/2005 - Next Stop: Tehran?
So, Iran is next on the chopping block. I know my words are entirely wasted, but again I ask: Might a change in U.S. policy serve us as well as threats and violence?
I detest the Iranian regime as much as anyone (hell they'd literally kill me), but it's easy to see why they feel driven to develop the bomb. The most powerful and aggressive military on the planet has just stomped their neighbors into submission, and that force's master, the U.S. has a long history of heaping injustice on Iran. Don't forget, that for all of our rhetoric about democracy, it was the United States who overthrew the democratic government of Iran in 1953 and replaced with a Monarchy (and used terrorism to accomplish it) -- all to get a better price on oil. It's not hard to see why the Iranian feel the need for the security of with atomic weapons.
Perhaps we could try:
- Publicly apologizing for overthrowing the democratic government that existed in Iran in 1953 and pledge never again interfere with Iranian internal affairs.
- Announcing a new neutrality based initiative on Israeli/Palestinian conflict that would remove any and all bias in U.S. law, policy, or fiscal and military aid that we have towards one side or the other.
In my opinion a hard-line regime like Iran needs to feel somewhat threatened by us. They need to understand that if they do anything to endanger our shores, directly or indirectly, we will squash them flat. But they also need to believe that we will deal with them justly and that only such a direct threat to our nation will cause us to launch military action against them.
Stick and carrot. Why is that so hard to understand?
