108 posts tagged “iran”
Iran was supposed to have given a final decision to a document it approved in principle stipulating Iran would ship most of its nuclear fuel to Russia for enrichment rather than do the process in Iran. Iran made the deal October 21, 2009 with the deadline being October 22. Theoretically this was to alleviate Western fears of developing nuclear warheads for Iran’s already tested ICBM’s. I expressed the thoughts that neither Iran nor Russia could be trusted in such a deal.
October 22 has come and gone with Iran claiming IAEA ElBaradei made no such deadline. Rather ElBaradei merely suggested a response time.
Of course this a typical stall tactic employed quite successfully by Iran whenever the psycho-ruling Shi’ite Clerics felt international pressure needed a bit of smoke and mirrors.
As of November 2 it is obvious Iran is backing away from the plan agreed on in principle on October 21. Officially Iran has is still claiming adherence to the plan with only a few minor details being changed. The reality is the minor details is a full about face counter-proposal. This indicates that Iran still has every intention of constructing nuclear weapons. If this is the case as I believe then John Bolton’s advice for a pre-emptive strike by Israel is well founded.
Probably for political purposes the Obama Administration via Secretary State Clinton has publicly taken the stand there will be no other deal for Iran. There indications that the Obama Administration are drawing up plans for stiff sanctions to be imposed on Iran. This leaves one to wonder: What are the stiffer sanctions Obama intends to use? If they are as toothless as in the past then why even bother to have sanctions. Simply do what Obama’s Administration has been hoping anyway; i.e. give Iran a rubber stamp of inevitability as a regional nuke power and mold foreign policy accordingly.
Will Israel become a Lone Ranger and strike Iran when it understands completely where Obama foreign policy is leading concerning Iranian nuclear weapons?
There is an Iran nuclear analysis provided by AP writer Brian Murphy concerning Iranian President Ahmadinejad toward the West, America and Israel. The part of the analysis that struck me is that Ahmadinejad is willing to go the extra distance in his arrogant disdain of American power as a deterrent. So I ask again, “What will Israel do?”
JRH 11/3/09 (Hat Tip: United Against Nuclear Iran)
As you probably are aware, Iran has lifted the hopes of all the dhimmi Leftists of America and the world by tentatively agreeing to send their nuclear fuel to Russia for enrichment. The theory of the agreement is that Russia enriching the nuclear fuel Iran will have less opportunity to produce enough nuclear material to create nuclear warheads. I am among many of the doubters of this being a realistic working theory.
I am not a lone in doubting Iran. Peter Robinson writes of the doubts of two prominent experts: Victor Davis Hanson and Robert Baer. This perspective is vital to read to comprehend the foolishness of the Obama Administration.
JRH 10/23/09
A negotiating team from Iran has agreed in principle to ship nuclear fuel to Russia for enrichment. The reasoning is if the nuclear fuel is in Russia then Iran would not have enough nuclear fuel to enrich to a weapons grade nuclear warhead of some sort.
The Iranian negotiating to could not give formal approval of the deal because it has to hear from the divine Shi’ite Ayatollah, I mean the leadership of the Iranian government.
Here is the thing. Iran has been rattling sabers with a ‘hands off’ attitude about their nuclear program to concerned governments (primarily Israel followed by the USA with some lesser concerns from appeasers like the UK, France and Germany). At every moment Iran needed to stall for time to reach a nuclear goal, the Mullah dominated government would express an interest at negotiation. Each negotiation was a smoke screen for all negotiation with Iran NEVER amounted to any substance.
Here is the other thing. Russia would be the guarantor of how much enriched nuclear fuel would be sent back to Iran for peaceful energy purposes. Does anyone see a snag in this logic?
Russia has been sending assassinators to the West to kill people of interest to the Russian image.
One example is the Litvinenko radiation poisoning murder carried out on British soil.
Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned by Dioxin. Yushchenko believes there is a Russian connection to the poisoning that occurred during a Ukrainian Presidential campaign he eventually won.
Russia has been belligerent to its neighbors, former members of the Soviet empire and Western governments.
Russia invades its neighbor and former Soviet Republic Georgia and steals land and continues to this day to make Georgia’s life miserable. Georgia was an American ally as part of the coalition of the willing.
Russia has been provoking British air space with military flyers. Not only once but several times.
The so-called new Russia has even been testing the USA ala Cold War style. The Russian excuse is American involvement in nations formerly controlled by the old Soviet Empire. Russia is actually in the beginnings of beginning global hegemonic rivalries that was supposed to have been resolved with the fall of Soviet Communism and the rise of democratic experiments in Eastern Europe. Naturally many of these nations formerly under the domination of the old Bear Claw would be drawn to the successful institutions that have brought prosperity to America. Nationalist egotism is again beginning to threaten global peace with Russia and emerging power China showing a desire for regional hegemony.
President Barack Hussein Obama’s handling of foreign policy is playing directly into the nationalistic fervor of Russian dreams of empire. BHO more than likely feels his election mandate was to handle foreign policy less assertively than the Republican Administrations of Reagan, Bush I and Bush II. It appears BHO believes that weakening American hegemony by taking the blame for all that riles our allies and rivals alike is the path to offsetting emerging Russian nationalism.
What are nations like Russia, China and Iran to think after BHO’s first whirlwind European tour of apologizing for American intrusions that benefitted American interests while policing Western government fears. It sounds a bit like hubris but who have the Europeans turned to in the 20th century for self-preservation during devastating wars and threats of Communist despotism? That nation is the USA. Two World Wars and the existence of NATO to counter the potential aggression of Soviet Imperialist days is the evidence. American might allowed Western economies to grow and actually become competitive to the American economy as a result of American global policing.
BHO’s appeasement policy could actually provoke another global conflict with such acts as scraping Europe’s Missile Defense Shield program at Russia’s command, the policy of no pre-conditions in Iranian negotiations and forcing a threat to Israel’s existence by producing an independent Palestinian State who’s only goal is the annihilation of non-Muslim Israel.
So Iran’s nuclear negotiating team secures a plan to send nuclear fuel to Russia for enrichment. There is no doubt this will add to the myth of Messiahood to BHO’s persona. Keeping in mind the Iranian government has not actually said, “We got a deal.” Does anyone really believe Iran will stop cruising down the path of becoming a nuclear power?
JRH 10/22/09
Gary H. Johnson, Jr. has contributed a number of articles relating to the influence of Fareed Zakaria: Here, Here and Here.
Johnson has more on the Newsweek’s Islamic mouthpiece.
JRH 10/21/09
President Barack Hussein Obama is turning out to be quite the incompetent geopolitician and President Sarkozy of France demonstrated his frustration of BHO’s incompetence at the mass meeting of Heads of State at the UN.
Let’s briefly catch-up concerning Obama incompetence; well really just a couple of things concerning Obama’s recent demonstration of incompetence. I am certain someone else could add volumes to a list of geopolitical incompetence.
In trying to please Russia’s displeasure about a Missile Defense Shield for Europe via the Eastern European nations of Poland and the Czech Republic, the appeaser Obama scrapped it. The Obama apologist scheme about this sounded plausible for the ignorant cadre of American Leftists; viz. the reasoning is if America tosses a bone to Russia, then Russia will begin to cooperate concerning peaceful yet stouter sanctions against Iran’s nuke program. The official lame excuse was explaining that Iran’s missiles were not aimed at America.
Now all of that sounds so lofty and like the plan to bring world peace in our time. But, check it out: Scraping the MDS put Poland and the Czech Republic governments in a bind. It was not an easy sell to those nations’ constituents to potentially paint a target for a first strike from Russia. Yes naysayers, Russia did express the possibility of a nuke strike against the hosting nations for building MDS apparatuses in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Keep in mind the MDS was not merely for Poland and the Czech Republic, it was for all of Eastern Europe and possibly the near reaches of the western part of Western Europe. Basically Obama sold out Europe. The MDS was officially a screen directed at Iran’s belligerence; nonetheless, Russia has not been exactly friends to its former Soviet Satellites. Ask Ukraine and Georgia to understand just what Russia is capable of toward near nations crossing them.
Then there is the thing about appeasing Russia for our old buddy the non-communist Russia to step up to the plate of international liberty and join in condemning Iran’s potential to use their nuke program to become a nuclear armed State. That did not do so good did it? Shortly after scrapping the MDS program the world hears that Iran clandestinely built another nuke plant. For peace? If you believe that then I have some real cheap swamp land beaches for sale in Florida.
What kind of commitment did that information elicit to our appeased buddies in the Russian government? Russia and China both gave harsh yet very obscure joint statement rebukes almost out of courtesy for being in Pittsburg, USA for a G-20 Summit. The rebukes played well for Obama at the time but there has been little substance from Russia or China for their so-called strong rebuke. Indeed later Russia and China went on record as claiming the clandestine nuke facility was no reason to add stronger sanctions against Iran.
Is appeasement working for Obama? The verbal picture sure does not show that. Not only has Russia and China fumbled their so-called harsh statement but there is the appearance that Obama is willing to acquiesce to a nuclear Iran as the new Middle Eastern hegemon. Russia has given zero. Iran continues trucking along toward a nuclear arsenal with ICBMs and Obama is left grasping for straws.
Charles Krauthammer has expressed in a recent editorial that even French President Sarkozy is fed up with Obama’s geopolitics. Basically Sarkozy had to scrap part of his UN speech after Obama’s UN speech did not mention the nuclear threat of Iran’s clandestine nuke facility. Krauthammer’s thoughts demonstrate Obama to be a total foreign policy failure for America; indeed that equates to a dangerous failure – READ IT.
JRH 10/3/09 (Hat Tip: Expose Obama)
Gary H. Johnson, Jr. has sent an exclusive to SlantRight.com that I am certain will make it in some form to his AfPak Reader.
The theme of the essay is a “New Realism.” The foreign policy concept is supposed to be middle ground between allowing everything including the kitchen sink without preconditions and Right Wing Realism. The former uses Jimmy – Hamas – Carter as an example. The latter uses Neoconservatives as an example.
The New Realism’s (A Conservative’s View) primary advocates seem to be Dennis Ross (Profile from Left oriented Right Web) and Robert Baer. Johnson’s essay is kind of a critique of an article written in the Washington Post by Fareed Zakaria.
I’ll probably have to read Johnson’s essay a few times in an attempt to digest all the implications of the New Realism. Upon first glance (well maybe second glance) Zakaria appears to be a proponent of the New Realism.
Now here is the foundation of the New Realism in foreign policy: The acceptance of Iran as a Middle Eastern hegemon while using a combination of Saudi clout, European economic strength and American power in a carrot and stick scenario to counteract Middle Eastern Iranian hegemony. It sounds like a new Cold War scenario in which the West tries to fence in the Iranian National Agenda with both overt and covert agents. Russia and China will play the switch and bait game to placate their National Interests meaning sometimes supporting the West and sometimes supporting Iran. For Russia and China the bait and switch of support will be founded upon that which benefits the respective the global sub-hegemonic powers (i.e. assuming that America is still THE global hegemon).
Below is Johnson’s very loaded with geopolitical information essay.
JRH 9/29/09
President Barack Hussein Obama abandons Eastern Europe’s Missile Defense Shield thus abandoning Eastern Europe.
The American public probably does not know or understand how much the Polish and Czech governments went out on a limb to sell the Missile Defense Shield (MDS) to their constituents. Sure the official reason was to protect Europe from Iranian ICBMs which could be potentially nuclear armed, but the former Russian East European hegemon has not been hesitant to use military muscle with former Communist members of the old Soviet Empire (can you say, "Georgia?").
The MDS provided a little comfort for future Russian aggression against European nations. President Barack Hussein Obama has in effect sold out Eastern Europe protection from Russian aggression as well as Iranian ICBMs.
It is like when America looked the other way at the end of WWII as the old Soviets spread Communist repression on Eastern Europe. I am sure the Czechs remember how America failed to support democracy when the old Czechoslovakia rebelled against Soviet hegemony with the Prague Spring.
JRH 9/18/09 (Hat Tip: The Conservative Underground)
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has vocally declared that any negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program are off the table.
This begs the question: What is President Barack Hussein Obama’s next step concerning a nuclear Iran? Will the President proceed with tough sanctions even if Russia and China veto a Security Council mandated global sanctions? This is to say the President then would be willing to lead the West and Israel in sanctions apart from the United Nations.
Will the President okay a proxy to take the heat for a military adventure against Iranian nuclear facilities? This is to say BHO would look the other way as Israel makes an attempt to destroy or slow down (depending on the degree of success) the Iranian nuclear capabilities.
An Israeli attack could open a whole slew of new inevitable conflict issues pertaining to American National Security and National Interests. Also I suspect Israel has a preemptive strategy designed against Hezbollah of Lebanon in the case that the IDF moves forward with an Iranian attack.
Also radical Muslim rogue nations tend think irrationally compared to Western geopolitics. A Western nation would be compelled to think of retribution against its attacker and whine about any aid or lack of restraint the attacking nation’s big brother might offer. Psycho-Shi’ite Mullahs will think more about some sort of blood libel revenge and potentially launch an attack of some sort on American troops in Iraq or give aid and comfort to the Taliban-al Qaeda duo of evil along the AfPak corridor.
Certainly Iran would unleash Hezbollah and encourage Hamas to attack Israel. This is where I believe Israel will do something preemptively. If Israel provokes an excuse to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, look for that to obfuscate attention toward an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Then there is also the Hezbollah threat to activate sleeper Shi’ite terrorist cells on the American homeland as a revenge act for allowing a military strike against Iranian nukes.
OR the Prince of Appeasement and Political Correctness and friend to anti-Semites might just say, “Shucks, those Iranians are going to develop a nuclear arsenal. America risks more immediate danger than the potential of a safer world without Iranian nukes in the future. I will just do nothing and let my Presidential descendants deal with the future threat of nuclear conflagration A Twelver Shi’ite is sure to do to hasten the Hidden Imam’s return to Islamize the world.”
JRH 9/8/09 (Hat Tip: A New Dark Age is Dawning)
Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold has written a book that should provide insights on how to deal with Iran and its unstated quest for nuclear weapons. The book is entitled, “The Rise of Nuclear Iran.”
Here is an excerpt of a review from the Human Events Book Service (link above):
In The Rise of Nuclear Iran, Gold traces the U.S.'s past failures to deal with Iran and explains why diplomacy alone will continue to backfire -- no matter who is president or which party is in power. Gold details how virtually every recent American administration has at some point reached out to Iran, but none of them ever succeeded in compelling the mullahs to make the slightest change in their unremittingly hostile behavior. Now, with the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran haunting the world, it is all the more urgent that these mistakes must not be repeated. Gold shows why -- and what the free world must do instead to protect itself from the maniacal Islamic regime in Tehran.
Dore Gold points out that a diplomatic solution or at least the kind of diplomatic solution that has been pursued is disastrously impotent to prevent Iran’s nuclear quest to evolve into a State possessing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) including inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM).
Emily Belz writing for WorldMag.com gleans the essence of Gold’s call for a new strategy in an article entitled, “Feeling Alone.”
Included beyond the criticism Democratic Party and GOP Presidents over the years, is the stark fact that the MSM fails to report effectively on. The usurper of Iranian elections President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is an extreme Shi’ite Twelver. Part of his theological beliefs is that global chaos is given a little push. The Hidden Imam (aka the 12th Imam and the Mahdi) will hasten his return to force planet earth to embrace Islam or die.
JRH 9/2/09
The Bush Administration sealed a deal to build a missile defense shield by utilizing ballistic missiles in Poland and detection radar in the Czech Republic. Russia has not been pleased sensing a threat to Russian National Security and National Interests. The Bush Administration maintained it was being built to counter Iran’s increasing capability with its own ballistic missile program. The Iranian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program could easily include nuke WMD so only the idiot geopoliticians believe Iran’s story of a nuclear program for peaceful nuclear energy.
Then the great appeaser Barack Hussein Obama became President in January 2009. BHO is willing to scrap the deal if Russia quits supplying nuclear technology to the psycho-Mullahs of Iran. Russia is using Iran as a counter-weight to the Missile Defense Shield also known as the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) for America’s perceived intrusion into Russia’s sphere of influence.
I am on the Stratfor free email list. I received an interesting article analyzing U.S. perceptions and Russian perceptions from the perspective of the Cold War and Post-Cold War era. Included in the analysis is the BMD system deal to begin construction in Poland and the Czech Republic.
This is some great geopolitical reading. I am going to provide the entire of the analysis below. I usually link to such sites for credit’s sake; however a lot of the information of Stratfor is by subscription. I am kind of a cheapskate so I continue with the free stuff. I will use the link in my email browser if you wish to verify the article. Be sure to read the analysis.
JRH 9/1/09
