Iran Plays Into Bush's Hand
This is how wars often start.
With little provocations that escalate out of control.
When Tehran seized 15 British sailors on Friday for allegedly being in Iranian waters, George Bush and Dick Cheney must have let out a cheer.
This is just the kind of thing they've been praying for.
Now Bush and Cheney may get their own little Gulf of Tonkin incident.
And Blair too.
When Tehran seized 15 British sailors on Friday for allegedly being in Iranian waters, George Bush and Dick Cheney must have let out a cheer.This is just the kind of thing they've been praying for.
He just announced that he was prepared to move into a "different phase" if negotiations didn't succeed in freeing the sailors. He didn't quite say what that different phrase was, but his comment was ominous enough.
Hyping the tension, Bush has sent the U.S. Navy on maneuvers in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran.
This is no ordinary exercise.
There are 15 warships, more than 100 planes, and 10,000 U.S. personnel "making simulated attacks on enemy aircraft and shipping," the AP reported.
Who is the enemy in the Persian Gulf? It's not Iraq, it's not Saudi Arabia, it's not the United Arab Emirates, it's not Qatar, and it's not Kuwait. That leaves only one other nation on the Persian Gulf: Iran.
"It's for regional stability and security," said U.S. Navy Commander Kevin Aandahl.
I kind of doubt that.
What it's really for is to intimidate Iran, or better yet, from Bush's perspective, provoke Iran into another reckless act.
Then Bush could go to Congress or bypass Congress, which is his wont, and go to the American people and say, Iran has attacked us, so we're, as we speak, bombing Tehran.
It's a speech I'm sure Bush has been rehearsing.
As Professor Michael Klare [1] has noted--and he's studied U.S. military policy for three decades now--the speech will probably go along these lines: "He will speak somberly of a tireless American effort to secure a meaningful resolution from the United Nations on Iran with real teeth in it and his deep disappointment that no such resolution has been not forthcoming. He will also point out that, despite the heroic efforts of American diplomats as well as military commanders in Iraq, Iran continues to pose a vital and unchecked threat to American security in Iraq, in the region, and even -- via its nuclear program -- in the wider world. Further diplomacy, he will insist, appears futile and yet Iran must be stopped. Hence, he will say, 'I have made the unavoidable decision to eliminate this vital threat through direct military action,' and will announce -- in language eerily reminiscent of his address to the nation on March 19, 2003 -- that a massive air offensive against Iran has already been underway for several hours."
Given the high stakes right now, it's all the more important for peace activists to pressure Congress not to go along with this madness.
(c) 2007 The Progressive
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This is how wars often start.
With little provocations that escalate out of control.
When Tehran seized 15 British sailors on Friday for allegedly being in Iranian waters, George Bush and Dick Cheney must have let out a cheer.
This is just the kind of thing they've been praying for.
Now Bush and Cheney may get their own little Gulf of Tonkin incident.
And Blair too.
When Tehran seized 15 British sailors on Friday for allegedly being in Iranian waters, George Bush and Dick Cheney must have let out a cheer.This is just the kind of thing they've been praying for.
He just announced that he was prepared to move into a "different phase" if negotiations didn't succeed in freeing the sailors. He didn't quite say what that different phrase was, but his comment was ominous enough.
Hyping the tension, Bush has sent the U.S. Navy on maneuvers in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran.
This is no ordinary exercise.
There are 15 warships, more than 100 planes, and 10,000 U.S. personnel "making simulated attacks on enemy aircraft and shipping," the AP reported.
Who is the enemy in the Persian Gulf? It's not Iraq, it's not Saudi Arabia, it's not the United Arab Emirates, it's not Qatar, and it's not Kuwait. That leaves only one other nation on the Persian Gulf: Iran.
"It's for regional stability and security," said U.S. Navy Commander Kevin Aandahl.
I kind of doubt that.
What it's really for is to intimidate Iran, or better yet, from Bush's perspective, provoke Iran into another reckless act.
Then Bush could go to Congress or bypass Congress, which is his wont, and go to the American people and say, Iran has attacked us, so we're, as we speak, bombing Tehran.
It's a speech I'm sure Bush has been rehearsing.
As Professor Michael Klare [1] has noted--and he's studied U.S. military policy for three decades now--the speech will probably go along these lines: "He will speak somberly of a tireless American effort to secure a meaningful resolution from the United Nations on Iran with real teeth in it and his deep disappointment that no such resolution has been not forthcoming. He will also point out that, despite the heroic efforts of American diplomats as well as military commanders in Iraq, Iran continues to pose a vital and unchecked threat to American security in Iraq, in the region, and even -- via its nuclear program -- in the wider world. Further diplomacy, he will insist, appears futile and yet Iran must be stopped. Hence, he will say, 'I have made the unavoidable decision to eliminate this vital threat through direct military action,' and will announce -- in language eerily reminiscent of his address to the nation on March 19, 2003 -- that a massive air offensive against Iran has already been underway for several hours."
Given the high stakes right now, it's all the more important for peace activists to pressure Congress not to go along with this madness.
(c) 2007 The Progressive
This is how wars often start.
With little provocations that escalate out of control.
When Tehran seized 15 British sailors on Friday for allegedly being in Iranian waters, George Bush and Dick Cheney must have let out a cheer.
This is just the kind of thing they've been praying for.
Now Bush and Cheney may get their own little Gulf of Tonkin incident.
And Blair too.
When Tehran seized 15 British sailors on Friday for allegedly being in Iranian waters, George Bush and Dick Cheney must have let out a cheer.This is just the kind of thing they've been praying for.
He just announced that he was prepared to move into a "different phase" if negotiations didn't succeed in freeing the sailors. He didn't quite say what that different phrase was, but his comment was ominous enough.
Hyping the tension, Bush has sent the U.S. Navy on maneuvers in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran.
This is no ordinary exercise.
There are 15 warships, more than 100 planes, and 10,000 U.S. personnel "making simulated attacks on enemy aircraft and shipping," the AP reported.
Who is the enemy in the Persian Gulf? It's not Iraq, it's not Saudi Arabia, it's not the United Arab Emirates, it's not Qatar, and it's not Kuwait. That leaves only one other nation on the Persian Gulf: Iran.
"It's for regional stability and security," said U.S. Navy Commander Kevin Aandahl.
I kind of doubt that.
What it's really for is to intimidate Iran, or better yet, from Bush's perspective, provoke Iran into another reckless act.
Then Bush could go to Congress or bypass Congress, which is his wont, and go to the American people and say, Iran has attacked us, so we're, as we speak, bombing Tehran.
It's a speech I'm sure Bush has been rehearsing.
As Professor Michael Klare [1] has noted--and he's studied U.S. military policy for three decades now--the speech will probably go along these lines: "He will speak somberly of a tireless American effort to secure a meaningful resolution from the United Nations on Iran with real teeth in it and his deep disappointment that no such resolution has been not forthcoming. He will also point out that, despite the heroic efforts of American diplomats as well as military commanders in Iraq, Iran continues to pose a vital and unchecked threat to American security in Iraq, in the region, and even -- via its nuclear program -- in the wider world. Further diplomacy, he will insist, appears futile and yet Iran must be stopped. Hence, he will say, 'I have made the unavoidable decision to eliminate this vital threat through direct military action,' and will announce -- in language eerily reminiscent of his address to the nation on March 19, 2003 -- that a massive air offensive against Iran has already been underway for several hours."
Given the high stakes right now, it's all the more important for peace activists to pressure Congress not to go along with this madness.
(c) 2007 The Progressive