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| President Obama says it was a "good day" because the Iran deal was sealed. Critics are not so sure. |
The photo of 10 American sailors on their knees with their hands over their heads after being captured by the Revolutionary Guards illustrates the prevailing trend of U.S. capitulation to Iran.
Many in the Middle East believe the current U.S. administration is willing to hand the "keys" to the region over to Iran. Tehran publicized the humiliating photo in an effort to send a clear message to the Americans, and essentially to the entire world, that Iran is the "boss" in the region.
The writer is former director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.
(Israel Hayom)
America's New Ally Iran - Elliott Abrams
When the U.S. appears unable to differentiate between enemies and allies, it gets fewer allies and its enemies grow stronger. Iran is an enemy of the U.S., which has killed hundreds of Americans in terrorist attacks over the decades since 1979 and most recently in Iraq. The photo of the captured American sailors will deeply unsettle America's friends. The Obama administration's reaction was to thank Iran. America's friends are without doubt thinking, "If this is how the Americans react to their own humiliation through an aggressive act, how will they react when we are in danger?"
The writer, a senior fellow at CFR, was a U.S. deputy national security advisor. (Council on Foreign Relations)
Normalizing Iran - Bret Stephens
Some believe the best way to allay the suspicions - and diminish the influence - of Iranian hard-liners is by demonstrating ever-greater diplomatic flexibility. The Carter administration hailed Ayatollah Khomeini as "a saint." Our embassy was seized. Ronald Reagan sent Khomeini a birthday cake, along with secret arms, to facilitate the release of hostages in Lebanon. A few hostages were released, while others were taken in their place. The world welcomed the election of "moderate" President Mohammad Khatami in 1997. Iran's illicit nuclear facilities were exposed during his second term.
Iran will become a "normal" country only when it ceases to be an Islamic Republic. In the meantime, the only question is how far we are prepared to abase ourselves in our quest to normalize it.
(Wall Street Journal)
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2 comments:
From a "deterrence expert". He might have a point.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/why-iran-really-truly-doesnt-want-the-bomb-for-now-at-least/
That is a fascinating article; thank you for sharing it. The author points out that Iran benefits widely from its current status. Though he appears to me to suffer from wishful thinking when he argues that Iran wouldn't act irrationally. In any case, it was an out-of-the-box analysis, which I absolutely love to read!
Thx,
Bruce :}
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