By: Daniel Nardini
Yes people, there is real pain at the pump these days. The price of gasoline is going up and up. We are barely into spring and none of us want to think about what gas prices will be by summer and even early fall. This is happening because of U.S. President Barack Obama’s policy of trying to “stop” Iran from making nuclear weapons. As Obama put it, this is a policy of “prevention.” By doing what he is doing he runs a significant risk of losing the White House in an election year. The Republican contenders clearly see it as a weak point and are going after him on it. And what is just as damning is that Obama is ignoring the lesson of history in regards to dealing with Iran. In that regards, we need only look at serious missteps then U.S. President Jimmy Carter had made in regards to Iran. No one of course could justify the taking of hostages—especially U.S. embassy personnel by Iranian students back in 1979. But Carter essentially lost his nerve and did not either take the appropriate military action or successfully conclude negotiations sooner.
Ever since Carter, many U.S. presidents have had to in one sense or another deal with Iran—more often than not guessing as much wrong about what the Iranian government would do as what the Iranian government would not do. Now Obama is trying to do the same thing—prevent the Iranians from making nuclear weapons. I find it amazing that he would choose now to try and stop any country from trying to acquire nuclear weapons. One needs to look at the number of countries that already have them. I can name Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea as examples. Obama claims that if Iran develops nuclear weapons that “terrorists will then be able to acquire them.” Could not the same thing be said for Pakistan, a so-called ally of the United States? And what about North Korea? They most certainly have nuclear weapons hidden somewhere to say nothing of chemical and biological weapons. And then there is America’s ally Israel. Israel most certainly has nuclear weapons. Fine, the U.S. government claims that Israel is a “stable, reliable ally.” That does not change the fact Israel has nuclear weapons.
Again I am not justifying Iran’s government and its policies. But short of war I really do not see Iran giving up its attempts at making nuclear weapons. In my view, Iran’s neighbors have more to lose if Iran acquires nuclear weapons or becomes politically and economically unstable. Even though Iran’s neighbors (with the exception of Israel), are afraid of that country becoming unstable—that instability will definitely spill into their countries. This is why countries like Iraq, Pakistan, and even Afghanistan are not too thrilled about sanctions on Iranian oil exports. More than that, they would rather see Iran remain a stable place than work with the United States to try and tear down Iran with economic and political sanctions. If the European Union is willing to go ahead with sanctions introduced by the United States it is because they are not being directly threatened by Iran, nor do they have to worry about any repercussions if Iran falls apart.
Still, the whole thing could backfire and do more damage to the U.S. economy. This in turn will almost certainly cripple any chances that Obama might get reelected. Right now he has a fifty-fifty chance that he might force Iran to give up trying to make nuclear weapons. But as one president found out over one generation ago, if you lose the gamble you lose the presidency. This is something Obama had better be thinking about as gas prices are beginning to soar and the U.S. presidential election is only months away.
The Iran Replay
By: Daniel Nardini
Ever since Carter, many U.S. presidents have had to in one sense or another deal with Iran—more often than not guessing as much wrong about what the Iranian government would do as what the Iranian government would not do. Now Obama is trying to do the same thing—prevent the Iranians from making nuclear weapons. I find it amazing that he would choose now to try and stop any country from trying to acquire nuclear weapons. One needs to look at the number of countries that already have them. I can name Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea as examples. Obama claims that if Iran develops nuclear weapons that “terrorists will then be able to acquire them.” Could not the same thing be said for Pakistan, a so-called ally of the United States? And what about North Korea? They most certainly have nuclear weapons hidden somewhere to say nothing of chemical and biological weapons. And then there is America’s ally Israel. Israel most certainly has nuclear weapons. Fine, the U.S. government claims that Israel is a “stable, reliable ally.” That does not change the fact Israel has nuclear weapons.
Again I am not justifying Iran’s government and its policies. But short of war I really do not see Iran giving up its attempts at making nuclear weapons. In my view, Iran’s neighbors have more to lose if Iran acquires nuclear weapons or becomes politically and economically unstable. Even though Iran’s neighbors (with the exception of Israel), are afraid of that country becoming unstable—that instability will definitely spill into their countries. This is why countries like Iraq, Pakistan, and even Afghanistan are not too thrilled about sanctions on Iranian oil exports. More than that, they would rather see Iran remain a stable place than work with the United States to try and tear down Iran with economic and political sanctions. If the European Union is willing to go ahead with sanctions introduced by the United States it is because they are not being directly threatened by Iran, nor do they have to worry about any repercussions if Iran falls apart.
Still, the whole thing could backfire and do more damage to the U.S. economy. This in turn will almost certainly cripple any chances that Obama might get reelected. Right now he has a fifty-fifty chance that he might force Iran to give up trying to make nuclear weapons. But as one president found out over one generation ago, if you lose the gamble you lose the presidency. This is something Obama had better be thinking about as gas prices are beginning to soar and the U.S. presidential election is only months away.