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Attacking Iran Will Not Repeat History
It will destroy the future
On April 10, 2002, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons, “Saddam Hussein's regime is…developing weapons of mass destruction, and we cannot leave him doing so unchecked.”
Attacking Iran will not repeat history, argues Baroud. It will destroy the future for millions.
A year later, Blair, enthusiastically joined a US-led coalition that launched an illegal war against Iraq. Their hunt for weapons of mass destruction was futile because no such weapons actually existed. The Iraq Survey Group, a 1,400 strong member organization set up by the CIA and the Pentagon, made every attempt to prove otherwise, but only came back empty-handed. In its final Duelfer Report, released in September 2004, the group “found no evidence of concerted efforts to restart the [nuclear] program.”
One would think that the years between 1991 – the first war on Iraq - and 2003 would have been enough to convince US-led western allies that economically besieged, politically isolated and war torn Iraq had no capacity for producing such weapons. Still, Iraq was attacked with a ferocity that left hundreds of thousands dead and a destroyed country. The outcome of the misadventure may be history to some, but it is a devastating reality for millions of Iraqis.
Considering all of this, shouldn’t we at least expect a slight change of course?
‘Drums of war beat louder as Iran and Israel step up rhetoric,’ declared a story headline in the British Independent newspaper on February 4, while ABC news stated that ‘Fear of Israel War With Iran Grows Amid Heightened Nuke Concerns.’
Of course, there is great deal of journalistic trickery in how the story is being reported. Iran did promise retaliation if attacked, but the possible war is being initiated and engineered by Israel.
In fact, contrary to popular perception, the potential war is not an exclusively Israeli-Iranian matter. While Israel is sorting out logistical issues, Western allies are actively working to both choke Iran economically and isolate it politically. The strategy may give the impression that Israel is the predator moving for the kill, but all other details are being sorted out in Western capitals.
As was the case with Iraq, Western allies are now hatching up both legal and political discourses. As they continue to escalate on multiple fronts, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seem to conveniently run into all sorts of obstacles in Iran itself.
Meanwhile, mainstream media continues to hype the idea of Iran as a threat to Israel and the United States. Comments made during a Friday sermon by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which threatened serious retaliation in case of attack, were stretched in every possible direction to give an impression of dangerous Iranian leadership. This was intended to retrospectively cement the bizarre Israeli narrative that ‘Iran must be stopped before it’s too late’.
'U.N. Nuclear Inspectors’ Visit to Iran Is a Failure, West Says,’ declared a headline in the New York Times, although the story itself pointed to the fact that the inspectors merely faced problems meeting a key scientists and would return later in the month.
The media anxiety reached an all time high with the publishing of a report in the Independent, which suggested that US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta “believes Israel could strike nuclear targets in Iran before the summer after concluding that military action might be needed before it was ‘too late’ to stop Tehran's nuclear program”.
The saber-rattling that preceded the Iraq invasion prepared public opinion for a war that should never have taken place. In the case of Iraq, Israel was a central piece in the US justification for war. Defending Israel from some imagined Iraqi threat was used by every war enthusiast in the US government and media.
Now, it’s Iran’s turn. The ugly deed this time is likely to be perpetrated by Israeli hands as early as April, according to Panetta. (One would argue that a dirty war is already underway as a number of assassinations targeting Iranian scientists have been committed.)
While the very suggestion of war was an Israeli-US ‘option’ that has been tossed back and forth since at least 2005, no sensible Iranian position is to be found in Western media reporting.
“Iran argues that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has every right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,” read a news article published in Iranian Press TV website.
No such claims will be assuring enough to the Israeli leadership. When Hamas’ feeble home-made rockets are viewed by Israel’s official discourse as an ‘existential threat’, one can imagine the trepidation of co-existing with a militarily strong Iran. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Ehud Barak are the two major proponents of the ‘bomb Iran before it’s too late’ argument. Considering Israel’s existing arsenal of nuclear weapons, subscribing to the Israeli logic is paramount to accepting that only Israel somehow has the moral capacity to use WMDs wisely.
Chillingly, officials used the annual conference of Israel's security establishment at the Inter-Disciplinary Centre in Herzilya to mostly discuss the ‘how’ and ‘when’ of launching their attacks. Vice Prime Minister, Moshe Yaalon is determined that “one way or the other…(the) messianic-apocalyptic” Iranian nuclear project would be stopped. Yaalon is a passionate supporter of the theory that Iranian ungrounded facilities can in fact be penetrated by bunker-buster bombs.
However, using the Iraq war narrative for comparison must end here. The fact is, there are also significant differences between both cases. Iran is a major regional power, geographically massive and cannot be politically ‘contained’ or economically choked without exacting a high price from all parties involved. No ground invasion is possible, for the US is counting its losses in Iraq and is cutting down its military budget. Iran has had enough time to anticipate and prepare for all grim possibilities. The American-British-Western public willingness to subscribe to another war rationale is at an all time low. And an act of war could destroy any remaining semblance of stability in a strategically and economically precious region during a time of global recession.
If history ever repeats itself, it does so only when we fail to learn its important lessons. Israel might be prepared to take such chances, but why should the rest of the world?
53 Comments so far
Show AllRepeating history is exactly the intended outcome. Iraq set a precedent. And preemptive war will become the norm. The people calling the shots care not about the citizens of the attacked nations or the taxpayers of the nations having to pay for the military actions, this isn't and never was about spreading democracy. It's simply a form of hostile financial takeover, and it has become business as usual.
In this "Age of Deception", the "Shock Doctrine" and "Disaster Capitalism" are the only games in town - the death rattle of empire.
How can we allow this to continue.
=======
A war with Iran on behalf of Israel would be a catastrophe. We rather need a war on unemployment, on growing poverty in America, on wasted resources trying to maintain our empire. We also need a nuclear free mideast. No nukes in Dimona. No nukes in Iran. No nukes in the world.
The insane dance of death from the 3 fascist/terrorist, nations; U.K. amerika and israel, is a dance into the abyss, where empires go when they collapse. They are sliding into the darkness because of the enormous suffering they have caused !
excellent metaphor...
Danse Macabre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CHqhsMP80E&feature=related
- - - - - - - -
THE DANCE OF DEATH
by: Charles Baudelaire
ARRYING bouquet, and handkerchief, and gloves,
Proud of her height as when she lived, she moves
With all the careless and high-stepping grace,
And the extravagant courtesan's thin face.
Was slimmer waist e'er in a ball-room wooed?
Her floating robe, in royal amplitude,
Falls in deep folds around a dry foot, shod
With a bright flower-like shoe that gems the sod.
The swarms that hum about her collar-bones
As the lascivious streams caress the stones,
Conceal from every scornful jest that flies,
Her gloomy beauty; and her fathomless eyes
Are made of shade and void; with flowery sprays
Her skull is wreathed artistically, and sways,
Feeble and weak, on her frail vertebrae.
O charm of nothing decked in folly! they
Who laugh and name you a Caricature,
They see not, they whom flesh and blood allure,
The nameless grace of every bleached, bare bone,
That is most dear to me, tall skeleton!
Come you to trouble with your potent sneer
The feast of Life! or are you driven here,
To Pleasure's Sabbath, by dead lusts that stir
And goad your moving corpse on with a spur?
Or do you hope, when sing the violins,
And the pale candle-flame lights up our sins,
To drive some mocking nightmare far apart,
And cool the flame hell lighted in your heart?
Fathomless well of fault and foolishness!
Eternal alembic of antique distress!
Still o'er the curved, white trellis of your sides
The sateless, wandering serpent curls and glides.
And truth to tell, I fear lest you should find,
Among us here, no lover to your mind;
Which of these hearts beat for the smile you gave?
The charms of horror please none but the brave.
Your eyes' black gulf, where awful broodings stir,
Brings giddiness; the prudent reveller
Sees, while a horror grips him from beneath,
The eternal smile of thirty-two white teeth.
For he who has not folded in his arms
A skeleton, nor fed on graveyard charms,
Recks not of furbelow, or paint, or scent,
When Horror comes the way that Beauty went.
O irresistible, with fleshless face,
Say to these dancers in their dazzled race:
"Proud lovers with the paint above your bones,
Ye shall taste death, musk scented skeletons!
Withered Antinoüs, dandies with plump faces,
Ye varnished cadavers, and grey Lovelaces,
Ye go to lands unknown and void of breath,
Drawn by the rumour of the Dance of Death.
From Seine's cold quays to Ganges' burning stream,
The mortal troupes dance onward in a dream;
They do not see, within the opened sky,
The Angel's sinister trumpet raised on high.
In every clime and under every sun,
Death laughs at ye, mad mortals, as ye run;
And oft perfumes herself with myrrh, like ye
And mingles with your madness, irony!"
- - - - - - - - - -
...peace...
"The West allowing history to repeat!" "No way!" I'm "shocked, just shocked!" How "could the West ever do that?"
Apparently only the US/Israel?UK can "defend" themselves.....everybody else have to submit and admit that they are "terrorists"....
Israel is the biggest threat to the ME. And the biggest terrorists.
Good article except for the reasoning at the end. The author states... "No ground invasion is possible, for the US is counting its losses in Iraq and is cutting down its military budget. Iran has had enough time to anticipate and prepare for all grim possibilities. The American-British-Western public willingness to subscribe to another war rationale is at an all time low. And an act of war could destroy any remaining semblance of stability in a strategically and economically precious region during a time of global recession."
To begin with, a ground invasion in the conventional sense is not an objective. The U.S. only needs to establish enough troops in the oil rich extracting areas. No need exists to march into Tehran or any other major population center as the U.S. Air Force will simply lay waste to these areas via bombs being dropped from six miles up or missiles being launched from hundreds of miles away.
As for the 'military cutting down its budget', this is also a fallacy as the U.S. spends nearly double the amount on the Pentagon now than it did at the time of 9-11.
While Iran has had time to anticipate and prepare for all of the 'grim possibilities', this does not translate into victory under any definition. Saddam also had years to prepare his country for the imminent American oil grab, yet he was powerless to stop it.
The author is correct to assert that "The American-British-Western public willingness to subscribe to another war is at an all-time low", but he also assumes that public opinion plays a part in the decision to wage war. If Americans don't like it, then they will vote Republican. If the Republicans wage war, then the public votes for the war happy Democrats. Both parties are subservient to their corporate pay masters and couldn't give a damn what public opinion says. The elite will simply rely on its pliant media to provide the best spin possible to plant the seeds of justification in the minds of a generally, politically ignorant public. The public exists for one sole purpose... to consume the products that the 1% sell.
Having said all this, war is still not inevitable. Different interests exist amongst the elite. It is not as if every wealthy corporation or individual is the member of a coherent and unified group (i.e the Bilderbergers, illuminati, etc.) but rather a variety of specific goals and strategies are applicable to each and every interest. What's good for Microsoft is not necessarily good for Apple, or what is good for Chrysler is not necessarily good for Volkswagen. Big business may be unified in its contempt for the public, its desire to maximize profits and its absence of empathy for the planet and its inhabitants, but the similarities end there.
Iran is the golden calf for some, but it is the sword of Damocles for others. In the meantime the non-particpatory public can only speculate and watch from the sidelines hoping that another war will not be corporate America's solution to "stimulating the economy".
thank you CD editors for publishing ramzy baroud's critique.
"In fact, contrary to popular perception, the potential war is not an exclusively Israeli-Iranian matter..."
i don't expect to hear very much truth from the western press. the american public is being conditioned to accept the reality that we must go to war. once the trigger event unfolds, there will be a massive PR campaign which will cross reference the false messages that have been planted for years in the american press. the public (like during the iraq war) will eat it up as they have no counter narrative to draw from (and they lack the skills to find the counter narrative).
basic facts - history of israeli/US aggression, the reality of israeli nuclear program, fact of US participation in current destabilization of iran - will be swept aside as the cameras will focus (and magnify the significance of) on whatever fuse ignites the conflagration.
russia and china will not back down. for me the question is will the US use tactical nukes to take out the nuclear facilities in iran ? if they do, what exactly would russia do to retaliate ?
...peace...
Two things.
1. The U.S. is NOT "cutting down its military budget." The military budget is still growing, just (supposedly) at a slower pace.
2. ALL of this warmongering could be IMMEDIATELY stopped by Obama if he (the great fraudulent "peace" prize winner) would come out and state what has been proven - that there is no evidence to support these accusations. Of course, this will not happen because Obama (and the congress) are not there to make peace. They are there to produce corporate profits and war is only costly to those who have not made greed their top priority.
"ALL of this warmongering could be IMMEDIATELY stopped by Obama if he would come out and state what has been proven"
Agree 100%. And that fact that he will not shows just how damn worthless "(the great fraudulent "peace" prize winner)" is. A liar. A fraud. A mass murderer. Someone who looks after his career, and cares not for "his own people".
This seems to have been planned for a while. The link below is to an article published in early Nov. 2011. Although the article is primarily about the UKs role in the planned military action against Iran, it states that Obama had wanted to wait until after the Nov. election before embarking on a new military venture.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/02/uk-military-iran-attack-nuclear
Unfortunately, the American public overwhelmingly supports Obama's drone wars and the rest of his fascist agenda, such as Guantanamo. A recent Washington Post ABC News poll shows 53% of self identified liberal democrats support keeping Guantanamo open.
"Fully 77 percent of liberal Democrats endorse the use of drones."
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_19923051
tomcarberry~
Is there any reason we should accept these polls at face value? Are polls from the CIA-embedded Washington Post/ABC really credible? My attitude is, they might be accurate, might not be. Undoubtedly, many liberal democrats are hypocritical when it comes to things like torture and preventive detention. When Bush engaged in these horrific practices, there were widespread protests. Obama does the same things, even escalates the war mongering, and there are not massive protests. There is OWS, but it did not arise out of Guantanamo or the War on Terror.
Good call, especially since Commondreams published poll numbers QUITE to the contrary when the question of war with Iran was posed. (This article was published a few days ago.) I think the figure was 76% of Americans are against it, and 53% of Israelis... the point was, it was a majority NOT in favor of war in both nations. Once again, this shows that narrow elites go to war in OUR names; and their use of the press/MSM to pound lies in the place of truth distorts the true numbers. IF the people knew the truth, the numbers who object would be a lot higher.
ABC News? Washington Post? Are you actually crediting these as reliable news sources? Propaganda Central.
"One Worlder anti Semites!" Real "convincing there!" I can just "picture Wendell Wilkie as he's asking that Jewish woman a question to learn something being an all out anti Semite." Anybody who isn't "anti Semitic according to such BS?"
If the USA attacks Iran, it will not because Israel demands it. It will because it is what the USA wants to do.
Israel is merely the Trojan horse on which the USA will hide inside of. The desire to dominate the Middle East THROUGH Israel is why Israel was founded. The United States and the United Kingdom both saw the "Protection of Israel" as a Cassus Belli which would allow them to intervene in this region far into the future.
Were there no Israel and either of those States wished to intervene in that region it would, in time, become ever more politically difficult to do so. In harnessing the Religous right and in calling any that opposed intervention on the behalf of Israel as "Anti-semetic" they get themselves in essence a "Bomb XXXX for free card"
Now there certainly IS an Israeli lobby and Aipac is indeeed an influential force in the USA but people who continually claim it all Israels fault or that Israel gives the marching orders are simply trying to evade responsibility for their countries actions.
There is a larger population of Muslims in Canada then there are Jews and the Jewish Lobby much less powerful in Canada then in the USA yet Stephen Harper falls right in line with the USA when he claims Canada must do all it can to defend Israel and Iran a threat to Israel and must be countered. He too plays to the publics fear of another "Holocaust against the Jews".
It is not because Israel gives marching orders. It is because he sees Western Dominance of the Oil States as fitting his vision of Canada in a North American Union and because his own beliefs are in line with the right wing Christians in the USA.
Again without an Israel in the Middle East, Pan Arabism would have taken off in the 1950s and both Britain and the United States did NOT want that as it would lead to a Middle East Independent of Western Influence.
The nauseating spectacle of the AIPAC fifth column hate fest conferences are about to happen. All of our Israel firster politicians will line up to kiss ass. Kill the Goy in Iran will be the tune, not one of the "Americans" will say, "hey wait a minute!, the Iranians haven't done anything to us, and I happen to like them." As far as I can see only Ron Paul is saying "Bring the Troops home now, don't attack Iran."
well stated. thank you.
...peace...
Thank you, GW North. You, Space Cadet & Iowa get it and think FAIRLY about this complex issue. On the other hand, I get the feeling that the hate/bash Jews/Israel crowd on this site is incapable of internalizing their own nation's martial flaws and WANT someone else to blame. Furthermore, the day I see that crowd show the same umbrage for any of the following will be the day I take their protests UNIQUELY directed at Israel, seriously.
Where is the outrage for:
1. The brutal retaliation against the Syrian people by their own leaders?
2. The awful fate of the earthquake-made-homeless people in Haiti?
3. The children genetically maimed from Agent Orange in Vietnam?
4. The families broken up to enforce a racist anti-immigrant policy towards Mexicans
5. The gang rapes by child soldiers to women in parts of Africa
This is of course a partial list.
Aggression is wrong, and if Israel is stupid enough to take the bait and attack its neighbor, as an astrologer I can tell you that it WILL pay a serious price. The Astro-logos is no respecter of persons, nations, or any other entity. Universal law is real; and to astrologers, Saturn represents the "Lord of Karma." It will form a once in 29-year opposition to the Israeli sun beginning in October of this year. The full thrust of the influence (it's a 3-year cycle) will come later due to Israel's inception date in late degrees of Taurus.
Because the U.S. will be dealing with 2 crisis influences of its own, it will NOT have resources on hand with which to lend support.
I PRAY that no aggression be pivoted on the Iranian people. I was so afraid that would happen when Bush & Cheney were sable-rattling... and initially thought Obama would rope in the trespasses of the previous administration. Most of us are stunned to the point of Stockholm Syndrome by the degree to which he's sold out.
Those who want to lay all blame and all culpability for the Middle East inferno on Israel are obviously Jew-haters. That's the ONLY explanation for their narrow assessments that manage to leave all contributing factors out of their tunnel vision analyses. And this is NO apology for Israel. It's a call for fair & balanced assessments.
I agree with GreatWhiteNorth that if the U.S. attacks anyone, it is not because Israel or anyone else has told them to. Israel exists solely because the U.S. allowed it to. The U.S. has been giving Israel over 3 billion dollars a year for decades now as well as supplying them weapons and ammunition in times of war. The U.S. is usually the only country at the U.N. which objects to Israeli aggression, yet when israel has gotten out of line (i.e. the Suez Canal crisis) the U.S. president (Eisenhower at the time) put the kabash on Israel immediately. The purpose of creating such a massive, Western military presence in the Middle East was to project U.S. power in the region.
Having said all this, AIPAC does have lots of funds to purchase U.S. politicians and they do regularly, however they pale in comparison to the purchasing power of corporate America. Ultimately it is an American elite that makes the decisions to wage war.
Well-said, Space Cadet.
Israel is an outpost of U.S. imperialism. At this point, that is its main function and raison d’être. If it weren't for the United States, Israel would be in a very dire situation.
Absolutely Oikos! The main reason Israel exists at all is because in 1948 the U.S. wanted a foothold in the Middle East to protect its stategic and oil interests. Israel was created for; and exists only to be a puppet of the American Empire.
Case in point: The American world wide Empire can exist without Israel; however, Israel would have an extremely difficult time existing without the backing of the West. I rest my case.
The real axis of evil: U.S.A.....United Kingdom.....Israel.
Precisely right PR--but let's not buy any of that "Zionists in charge of it all" crap. This coming war will be bigger than just Iran or even than Iran and Syria. It is a continuing part of the "rope-a-dope" "Arab Spring that was and remains organized by the US security establishment and its various NGO surrogates (some knowingly others as "useful idiots").
Israel, NATO. and even Egypt are engaged in what they think is the end-game of destroying Muslim Mahdi extremism (IOW Hezbollah-Hamas). They further expect that this will then lay the groundwork for "lasting peace" in the Middle east. They will succeed on the first count and their delusion on part two will lead to problems that make today's ME mess look like happily-ever-after.
Yes Waldo, Isreal is the American Empires puppet; not the canard and red herring of it being the other way around.
Really? Israel is the puppet? So if that was the case, then it would be a non-issue for US politicians to criticize the country, which they can't unless they want to commit political suicide... Is that because Jews make up the majority of the population? Hardly. It's because the Israeli government controls AIPAC, which in turn buys the politicians, which in turn buys US servitude.
Looking at the fealty of the US Congress critters whenever Netanyahu comes to town, it would appear you are mistaken... And what did Netanyahu (and Ariel Sharon for that matter) say about US pressure tactics?
Netanyahu: "I know what America is. America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction. They won't get in the way."
Sharon: "Every time we do something you tell me Americans will do this and will do that. I want to tell you something very clear, don't worry about American pressure on Israel, we, the Jewish people control America, and the Americans know it."
So do those sound like statements from a puppet? Hardly.
"but let's not buy any of that "Zionists in charge of it all" crap"
Translation: Let's not think. Ignore the man behind the curtain.
Israel is ALREADY at war with Iran. It has conducted military operations inside Iran for years. The question is how much further military action is going to be taken and to what extent will the US collaborate. This will depend, first, on the domestic political needs of Obama. If he needs a political boost he can use the tools he always says are on the table. War with Iran would raise his popularity with the Israeli government. That’s something all US politicians need. He can further shame his Nobel Peace prize by authorizing war crimes.
Hoa binh
Israel has conducted Terrorist attacks against Iranians and Iran's infrastructure; that is NOT the same as war, as with war someone returns fire. Again, another writer refuses to call this out for what it is: State Terrorism. Are these writers cowards or cowed? Why the self-censorship? Isn't this just another example of hypocrisy? And the writer asserts US Empire is cutting its military budget--that's Bull of the Frist Magnitude as the War budget is scheduled to expand. Ye Gawds, or Leapin' Lizards, or some such.
Whoever thought up the gas-pump illustration pictured in this story is truly a genius--nicely done!
Remember folks the highest priority in invasion scheduling is given to Nations who are moving away from selling their oil for US dollars. The USA has been funding Abdullah Buluchi terrorists inside Iran for years.
True Story.
There's a number of factors in play here:
US Petro dollars
Israeli hegemony over the middle east
Control over the energy corridors to prevent BRICS countries from getting too strong
And frankly, when it comes to Iran, US Revenge for the 1979 revolution. How dare those damn persians get all uppity and overthrow their puppet.
BTW: If you're the glenn ford from BAR, nice to see you here. :) Read your commentary all the time.
As playwright David Mamet says in his 2011 book, 'The Secret Knowledge,' "I tire of hearing Israel condemned by Americans. I assert that you would still fight with every force at your command to get on an Israel-bound plane (vs. a Syria-bound plane), you and every hard Leftist and every head-shaking misinformed One-Worlder and anti-Semite up to and including Jimmy Carter and Noam Chomsky, would if the issue were his LIFE, suspend his most cherished convictions of Israeli perfidy, and plead for the protection of that state he would then not only acknowledge but ASSERT to be his ally." Yes, Mamet is the guy who wrote "Glengarry Glen Ross."
That's right. Militarily strong, nuclear power Israel is the victim. Nevermind that they're the one's instigating wars, conducting a 60+ year old brutal occupation and ethnic cleansing. Forget the fact that the Israeli government is racist against non-jews. Forget that the mossad has their hands in many dirty little plots all over the world. Forget about the fact that pretty much every country in the region wants the middle east to be a nuclear weapons free zone, which is rejected by Israel. Nevermind that without the US veto, Israel would be in violation of so many UN resolutions, instead of the handful they are. Don't even think about the fact that Israel is in violation of international law in regards to the settlements and the separation wall. No, none of these things matter... just those damn leftists "shaking their heads" at poor little Israel. And of course, anyone who points out these facts is greatly misinformed.
Anyone who points out these facts are immediately labelled an anti-semite.
And what about your OWN nation's nuclear arsenal? What about your OWN nation's use of nuclear weapons? I tire of those who rant against Israel when they seem inured to their own nation's considerable martial trespasses. It's a form of American Exceptionalism that you take for granted your own nation's RIGHT to arms, but then rail on about Israel acquiring a pittance of that dastardly stockpile.
I don't see "poor little Israel," and I recognize naked aggression and how ill-fated it is to ANY entity that deploys it. However, until you apply the same metrics to a fair accounting of your OWN nation, stop making it all about Israel. It reminds me of the guy who beats up his wife and keeps telling the cops SHE made him do it. It's cowardly!
And as far as your earlier point about the influence of AIPAC, you could say something similar about the influence of bankers, the MIC, big oil, and some of the media moguls. Influence and power make lawmakers who are reliant on the quid pro quo arrangement of campaign dollars quite receptive.
"And what about your OWN nation's nuclear arsenal"...
MY nation does not have any nuclear weapons.
As well Siouxrose, I'm surprised you didn't get the sarcasm.
"And as far as your earlier point about the influence of AIPAC, you could say something similar about the influence of bankers, the MIC, big oil, and some of the media moguls. "
You don't see members of congress publicly pledging fealty to the bankers or big oil. You do see them pledging "unwavering support" for Israel.
Let them Hang themselves.
If nobody else will, I’ll call the bluff.
I am against it but if they want it and we can’t stop it like all the times before, I say do it already because a big experience is the best way to learn about War.
According to a recent U.N. High Commission for Refugees study, nearly one half of the world's refugees are from Afghanistan and Iraq. Sanctions and bombing are sure to create more refugees. And then there are the ones who didn't/won't survive to become refugees...
The following is a link to a video for my song, Refugee:
http://youtu.be/-dF7y2T-Amk
Again with discussing and debating the cover story. It's about the OIL stupid! Nukes is just a convenient cover story that really really scares the good people about those bad people. Geez Baroud, get your nose out of the dogs butt and look at the tree he's sniffing.
To say it's only about OIL is a rather simplistic view of the situation. While oil plays a part in the aggression against Iran, it's only part of the story. You should do more research into the details before spouting off.
Well, perhaps it's 90%, and the other 10% is about US domination of the Middle East in general to protect access to the oil and other resources. What I want is for pundits and analysts to stop digging into the cover story. I want THEM to do their jobs and address the true reasons, as I've said, the oil and access to it.
Well obviously the MSM won't do that.
RT does.
And everyone might want to heck out The Alyona Show. Seriously.
I think it is the best, most relevant, and most honest, news on television; it's also on You'Tube but with a day or two delay.
Don't believe negative hype about "Russian spy"- ( she IS beautiful, and a Russian-born American, but that's just extra).
The show would be first-class even if she looked like, say, Hillary. But, fortunately, she doesn't.
She and her show are both extremely intelligent and really savvy to the situation in this country in ways that we never see on the MSM.
Highly recommended.
RT is fantastic. Genuine news and no slant, that I can tell. Try channel 280 on Dish TV. A few days watching RT will make it impossible to ever go back to watching the MSM. You see quickly how pathetic and slanted the MSM really is. The reason we are the way we are (screwed up, nationalistic and belligerent) is partly because of the way the American public is propagandized by the MSM!
Russia is no paradise, but RT is truly well-produced and balanced!
Right. The other part is control of the land between Central Asia and the Ocean so pipelines for the natural gas to get from Central Asia to the sea can be built.
... and maintaining the US dollar as the world reserve currency via oil sales. This one is HUGE. Add to that competition with Russia and China over Iranian oil; The US wants to contain China's influence. Add to that US/Israeli hegemony over the region; Iran is the only serious player against US/Israeli influence...