Iran Strategy being Debated at White House

A year later, after beginning a new push for diplomatic negotiations with Iran along European lines debate is opening up within the Bush Administration as to whether this new tact is working.

The NY Times article pits the debate as being between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her department “against the few remaining hawks inside the administration, especially those in Vice President Dick Cheney’s office who, according to some people familiar with the discussions, are pressing for greater consideration of military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.”

In the year gone by the U.S. joined “forces” with the EU-3 along with Russia and China and Iran’s enrichment program has continued apace. In all fairness to the “hawks” “pressing for greater (italics mine) consideration of military strikes,” one has to seriously include the three prior years of the negotiations of the EU-3 and Iran. Just because the U.S. openly signed up does not mean negotiations have only been ongoing for one year.

Are negotiations going nowhere with no chance of success? Nothing is impossible, but those that have been involved appear to want it to be a continuous process without actually trying anything else. Iran’s intransigence remains as its influence in the region increases.

People have been moaning for the president to change direction/strategy etc. in Iraq since day one; yet Iran and its looming nuclear capacity gets scant attention that could be considered realistic. Why is that? Likely it is due to the fact that it doesn’t feel real until it is as in Iraq.

Considering there is no likelihood of turning Iran back due in great part to its intentions not to, wouldn’t it be prudent to seriously consider putting military strikes on the table?

The Middle East has been a flash point for quite some time now and it is not about to cool down anytime soon; it likely will not until the flames and smoke that will shortly engulf it clear up. We are in a relative time of peace in that region comparative to what it is on the way to becoming. If we cannot make the tough calls now we will without doubt be forced to make them later. To think otherwise is unrealistic and naïve.

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