Iran may hold it against the United States if, even without U.S. participation, it’s attacked by Israel.
Newt Gingrich and the “Madman” Theory of International Relations
It takes an irrational actor to know one.
Iran Already Has a Strong Deterrent
The evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons doesn’t exist. But what if it did?
The Slide Toward War
Wars are fought because some people decide it is in their interests to fight them. World War I was not started over the Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination, nor was it triggered by the alliance system. An “incident” may set the stage for war, but no one keeps shooting unless they think it’s a good idea. The Great War started because the countries involved decided they would profit by it, delusional as that conclusion was.
As Always, Good News About Nukes Soon Eclipsed by the Bad
Important as preventing nuclear proliferation is, it’s second to nuclear risk.
In an Attack on Iran, Oil Wells Will Be Spared
Invasion would likely follow an air attack on Iran.
Iran: Willing to Deal
Determined to lift the economic siege and avoid a potential conflict, Iran has shown an increasing interest in reviving talks. Not only has Iran welcomed successive rounds of IAEA visit to its nuclear facilities, but it has also shown interest in engaging in substantive talks, with Turkey and Russia acting as primary interlocutors. It is high time for the West to rethink the sanctions track and craft a real strategy by finally giving true diplomacy a chance. This might be our last opportunity to avoid tragedy.
Republicans Keep Shifting Targets: Iran Now in the Crosshairs
One reason that Republicans seek war with Iran is that if it becomes a mess, it could hurt President Obama as the failed hostage rescue mission did Jimmy Carter.
Iran: Outgunned in the Gulf
Iran has threatened to close the Straits of Hormuz – a “choke point” in the Persian Gulf through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes – if the West imposes sanctions against Iran’s petroleum exports. This threat is not without historic parallel. In 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and launched its war against the United States after Washington blockaded oil shipments to Tokyo. Japan relied on 80 percent of its oil from the United States; oil sales make up 80 percent of Iran’s exports. A complete oil embargo on Iran, just as it would have done to Imperial Japan, would result in economic calamity.
Georgia: NATO Membership in Exchange for Use as a Base for War With Iran?
New hospitals and air bases built in Georgia have led to speculation they’re to support U.S. attack on Iran.