Containment of Iran?

This article looks at the scenario for containing a nuclear Iran. That is, if we go ahead and assume that Iran will get the bomb, what will our containment policy look like. Will "what worked with the soviets work with the mullahs?" is the question. The US worked to stop China from developing nuclear weapons in the 1960s but then slowly began to formulate a policy of containment after it became clear it would. So if China and Russia changed over decades, can Iran? The article lays out the argument for a containment policy. I have my doubts. We don't seem to have a clear policy towards Iran and are unsure, as the article points out, where our point of "tolerance" is - or, where that line in the sand is.

"Why on Earth Would We Wait to Disarm Iran?"

Hitchens' thesis paragraph, as nearly as I can pin it, is the following:

"I have never been present for any discussion of any measures that could even thinkably be taken against Tehran that does not focus obsessively and exclusively on the possibly calamitous outcomes. Israel hits Iran and—well, you fill in the rest. The target sites are, anyway, too much dispersed and too deeply buried. You know how it goes. Apparently, nothing can be done that does not make a bad situation worse. It is as if there could be a worse outcome than the nuclear armament of a lawless messianic state that tore up every agreement it signed even as it bought further time while signing it."

The rest is a very worthwhile read.

Iran Seeks the 'Japan' Option

A fairly convincing argument related to the facts surrounding Iran's nuclear experimentation. Summary given by "The Slatest" below:

It's possible that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was insincere when he forbade atomic weapons as un-Islamic. Khamenei's fatwa is just one of the many seemingly contradictory pieces of the Iranian nuclear puzzle: Tehran vehemently denies that it's building a nuclear weapon, while the United States, Israel, and others point to previously hidden facilities as evidence Iran is lying. Salon commentator Juan Cole says a single hypothesis "explains all the anomalies elegantly and concisely." Iran seeks nuclear latency, also known as the "Japan option," Cole argues. That is, Iran (like Japan) doesn't want the bomb, but just the threat of being able to build one quickly. The strategy secures energy independence, "would help fend off aggressive attempts at regime change by the Western powers or Israel," and, "conveniently for Khamanei," violates neither Islamic law nor the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Moreover, it lets Mahmoud Ahmadinejad deny he's building a bomb without technically lying.


Link here

"The One Thing Iran is Actually Afraid of"

Note: I really despise how people confuse the actions of a nation's government for its people. U.S. media are especially terrible at avoiding this (not insignificant) distinction. There's no fundamental difference in the people of the stretch of land between Tehran and Dhaka, or Kathmandu and Kandy, but if you listen to the choice of vocabulary on the part of the media it would seem as though we were all worlds apart. Anyway.

Applebaum attempts to argue that there are, in fact, two Irans, and the people who care about one "don't care about the other." Well that may be true, but the number is certainly higher than two if so, and Applebaum herself would definitely call into the category of someone who cares about only two of the three.

She goes on to argue that the worst fear of Iran is a sustained, well-orchestrated human rights campaign. I don't really believe her, or her conclusions regarding what we should do with that "information", but judge for yourself. 

Qaddafi

May I just say.....

Congratulations.

Regardless of accuracy, Qadafi was very entertaining.

Foreign Policy compiled a top ten list of crazy U.N. moments.

I'm very proud Krishna Menon is up there with his rather epic filibuster on Kashmir.

Encounter them here

Also

"Do Not Mess With the Giant Squid"

Also

Bidenisms: A continuing list (modelled after Bushisms)

Also

Does anyone else think Ahmadinejad is one of the best gesticulators , gesturers, and body-language artists of all time? The man is mesmerizing.

I also suspect he's vastly more intelligent than many over here give him credit for.

Ok halftime's over, go heels!

Russia backs down about Iranian sanctions.

Article!

So, it seems that what we talked about last weekend came to fruition. The Russians made an unofficial statement that they were ready to examine Iran and punitive measures. This isn't a diplomatic commitment, but it is a "we are on the same page and willing to move forward with this". Technically, they said that sanctions are sometimes inevitable and that if incentives don't work, the Russians may need to adopt tougher measures. Looks like Obama's gesture wasn't in vain.

"My Ramadan World Tour"

Instead of critical analysis I'll copy and paste the author's last sentence, which sums up the gist of the article.

"Other than in Saudi Arabia, where the Quran is literally the law, in my travels I've found encouraging examples of societies fitting their own local needs to religious restrictions; a sign that pragmatism, if not secularism, is on the rise."

You can read the rest of the article here

"Engaging With Iran Is Like Having Sex With Someone Who Hates You"

Christopher Hitches, a highly entertaining, if divisive, writer deigns to bless us with his opinions regarding the Obama "administration"'s attempts to engage in dialogue with Iran.

Link here