Great Power vs. No Power
Read a very interesting article in the Sunday Times today, concerning Iraq and how the US forces were reduced to impotent bystanders this past Thanksgiving Day as sectarian violence hit a new high in low. What struck me about the article was not the facts related in the article (the violence, the apparent impotence of the US to stop it and the glaring inability of the al-Maliki Government to resolve the situation) but this little quote:
“I think Iran senses an opportunity to deliver a knock-out punch to the United States,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a regional specialist at the Brookings Institution. “They may see a chance that the US is driven out of the region altogether. Iran could become the great power of the Persian Gulf.”
With all due respect to Mr. O'Hanlon (who I'm certain is a well-read and erudite analyst) but I want to know what drugs he's on. Ever since we castrated Iraq in 1991, Iran has been the major power broker in the region. In terms of overall military might, the only two nations in the area that can match Iran are Turkey and Israel. Israel's military has been revealed as something a bit less than adequate, and Turkey is concentrating on keeping tabs on the Kurds in their country and in northern Iraq. Which leaves Tehran with a wider range of options.
I know that this admission might cause George Bush's head to explode, but the US needs Iran's assistance. That the assistance will come at a price is understood, but we should be prepared to meet them halfway. This nonsense about unilateralism is what landed us in Iraq in the first place; only by making friends of our enemies and by practicing the Art of the Possible will we be able to leave with our heads held high.
“I think Iran senses an opportunity to deliver a knock-out punch to the United States,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a regional specialist at the Brookings Institution. “They may see a chance that the US is driven out of the region altogether. Iran could become the great power of the Persian Gulf.”
With all due respect to Mr. O'Hanlon (who I'm certain is a well-read and erudite analyst) but I want to know what drugs he's on. Ever since we castrated Iraq in 1991, Iran has been the major power broker in the region. In terms of overall military might, the only two nations in the area that can match Iran are Turkey and Israel. Israel's military has been revealed as something a bit less than adequate, and Turkey is concentrating on keeping tabs on the Kurds in their country and in northern Iraq. Which leaves Tehran with a wider range of options.
I know that this admission might cause George Bush's head to explode, but the US needs Iran's assistance. That the assistance will come at a price is understood, but we should be prepared to meet them halfway. This nonsense about unilateralism is what landed us in Iraq in the first place; only by making friends of our enemies and by practicing the Art of the Possible will we be able to leave with our heads held high.
posted by Walt at 11:32 AM
1 Comments:
I'm afraid that stubbornness will get in bush's way. He seems to place his own view by history before anything else.
Common sense tells any sane person that we absolutely must work with the neighboring nations. Sane is the operative word.
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