Everything you know about Iran is wrong, or at least more complicated than you think. Take the bomb. The regime wants to be a nuclear power but could well be happy with a peaceful civilian program (which could make the challenge it poses more complex). What’s the evidence? Well, over the last five years, senior Iranian officials at every level have repeatedly asserted that they do not intend to build nuclear weapons. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has quoted the regime’s founding father, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who asserted that such weapons were “un-Islamic.” […] Now, of course, they could all be lying. But it seems odd for a regime that derives its legitimacy from its fidelity to Islam to declare constantly that these weapons are un-Islamic if it intends to develop them.
Iranians aren’t suicidal. In an interview last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Iranian regime as “a messianic, apocalyptic cult.” In fact, Iran has tended to behave in a shrewd, calculating manner, advancing its interests when possible, retreating when necessary. […] The argument made by those—including many Israelis for coercive sanctions against Iran is that many in the regime have been squirreling away money into bank accounts in Dubai and Switzerland for their children and grandchildren. These are not actions associated with people who believe that the world is going to end soon.
And so on, with more examples. While Iran may hate the West’s standards and practices, Israel’s paranoia outweighs what may be reality in our planning for the worst. Or is this article wishful thinking?
Fear is a great way to get things done rather quickly if you have to. No?
#1 – Dallas
Bush’s regime knew that.
So, when Iranian’s president keeps talking about wiping Israel off the map, we should just ignore him and believe that Iran’s nuclear program is only for peaceful/energy purposes?
And of course they’d never export their nuclear technology even though they have been responsible for making IEDs and sending them to Iraq to kill US soldiers.
Leave it up to the leftists on here to believe that those who want us dead are telling us the truth.
If I am not mistaken, the left did the same with the communists of the old USSR. But I guess we just don’t want to learn from history.
#3 The Warden
You’re absolutely correct. Those “communists of the old USSR” were really dangerous. I saw Red Dawn too. We really need to finally start learning from history about the evils of propaganda, don’t we?
So, when Iranian’s president keeps talking about wiping Israel off the map, we should just ignore him and believe that Iran’s nuclear program is only for peaceful/energy purposes?
No, perhaps not but perhaps we should realize that even if Iran doesn’t have any nuclear program they could still make enough conventional missiles to wipe Israel off the map dozens of times over.
The fear over nuclear weapons is largely symbolic. Yes there would be radiation and fallout but Iran and North Korea don’t need nuclear weapons to destroy the countries they hate.
So what did they mean when they said the world should fear if they took their nuclear program ‘underground’. What is their to fear in a peaceful civilian nuclear power plant program?
Plus they have said that an Israeli counterattack would only wipe out a small part of the Islamic world.
By the way, I thought the left hated nuclear power itself, so why are they so supportive of power plants built by countries that talk of attacking Israel?
Who gives a rat’s ass what Israel thinks. Those guys created the mess they are in and they will need to find their own way out. Threatening your neighbors is not the way to peace. Iran hasn’t attacked any countries in recent history. So one politician shoots his mouth off and now we are supposed to attack them. The most dangerous country on the planet is the U.S. and it’s military machine.
I have said all along that there is no nuclear weapons program in Iran, just as there was no WMDs in Iraq. This has always been a bogey man of the Bush administration.
The US is no longer in neo-con control, but Israel still is.
It would appear that Neville Chamberlain lives….
Whether Iran is a good country today is irrelevant. The best example of what can happen came just next door in Pakistan. What had been a strong western (read US) ally in the region had a couple of coups and now has a serious terrorist problem and an unstable government. The best way to deal with nuclear weapons is to get rid of all of them in the mid-east.
Israel has enough crazies in government as well as in the general population to pose serious problems, similar to what Iran is accused of. Only we know they have nukes. Instead of working with their minorities and neighboring countries, Israel insists on subjugating the Palestinians into disparate moves. I worry much more about Israel’s effect upon world peace than I do about Iran or North Korea.
Eliminating nukes from the rest of the world wouldn’t hurt either.
“The argument made by those—including many Israelis for coercive sanctions against Iran is that many in the regime have been squirreling away money into bank accounts in Dubai and Switzerland for their children and grandchildren. These are not actions associated with people who believe that the world is going to end soon.”
This last sentence is a really foolish statement. Maybe they don’t think the world is literally going to end, and the Islamic messianic figure of the Mahdi will return (as Ahmadinejad is reputed to both believe in and wish for fervently), but OBVIOUSLY they think something REALLY bad and catastrophic is going to happen with their country, which is WHY they are sending so much money out of Iran.
Think about it. Why do groups of people set up bank accounts in foreign countries? Usually because they are preparing for an escape from their country, or for a bleak future. The average Iranian may not want war, or may even not be that negative about either the US or Israel, but every day they leave Ahmadinejab in power, is one more day they are endorsing his philosophy and rantings. If they didn’t, they’d kill the SOB.
No, it’s simply a classic case of a repressive regime that doesn’t truly speak for the people of the country. Ahmadinejad won a run-off election, but he is not the supreme leader of Iraq: he still answers to Ayatollah Khamenei. He’s hardly a good President, has mis-managed the economy, and refused to listen to expert advice. The good news is that he could be out of office in August.
Iran could be a major ally of the West in that region, if it didn’t have such idiots running it. Do the people on the streets of Tehran really care that much about Israel? They do care for America, considering how popular US culture is there – TV and movies, clothes, etc. Soccer is huge, and they even have Nascar-type racing there, and not just for the men.
#3
“So, when Iranian’s president keeps talking about wiping Israel off the map, ”
He didn’t say that at all. It was a total translational misquote. What he said was
” The regime occupying Jerusalem ( Fascists Zionists) must vanish from the page of time.”
It’s true, all of us including Israelis would be better off if the Zionists nazis were gone. There’re the ones pushing us all towards a world war.
I was just thinking, and no, it wasn’t painful: Wouldn’t Alfie make a great Muslim?
Ya know….some of these lies sound really good after they’ve been sugar coated enough. Specially to the simpletons who base their study of history from what they see on the Comedy Channel.
Why not give an ultimatum to Iran? Become our vassal or face full fledged invasion/ destruction? Why all this discussion?
We are the mightiest power the world has ever seen or will ever see again. We can do as we please.
God bless America.
“Is The Fearmongering About Iran Completely Wrong?”
No, I know several people who barely escaped with their lives from the hell hole that Iran has become since that insane theocracy took control. If they get close to obtaining the bomb, take them out.
By 2050 Iran will be out of oil and the average age of the population will well over 40 (higher than the west). Anyone under 35 in the country today is pretty much westernized.
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home, wagging their tails behind them.
The Taleban must be trying to take over Pakistan to destroy those “unislamic” nukes there.
I wonder what the point of the Iranian ballestic missile was.
I agree about setting up shop in Switzerland. Those accounts are there for a reason. Actually a bad sign. The article is illogical.
That said if these idiots detonated an A-bomb in Israel the world community would have all the mullahs there behinds bars over night. The Swiss would be happy toturn themover and keep the money.
I love trying to post when I’m drunk. Yes, Iran is very reasonable. There are no homosexuals there, all the women enjoy the protection of the morality police, and the holocuast never happened. USA is the great satan and Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth for the insult of existing.
Their nuclear reactor sites are not physically located any where near their power grids so of course we should believe they are for the purpose of creating electrical energy.
You know, when people say things against their own interests, common humanity, they should be taken at their word. Silly to think your enemy is stupid in all the same ways you are yourself.
Dvorak–so you think an A-Bomb on Israel will be treated as a crime?
Hah, hah. USA doesn’t have a 20,000 to one Nuke advantage in order to rely on criminal law. And what does one do with money after the apocalypse? Doesn’t make good worm food.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must have been misquoted. When he spoke of “a messianic, apocalyptic cult,” he was probably referring to Christianity. For more information, just read the book of Revelation.
One man’s “cult” is another man’s one true religion, and Jews have always thought of Christianity as a cult. When they’re right, they’re right.
#13 jim, from some of what I’ve read, you’re correct about the translation error, but it has been repeated so often that it is now the virtual equivalent of truth, sort of like the claims from Republicans that Al Gore actually claimed that he “invented” the internet.
Repetition makes it true.
Repetition makes it true.
Repetition makes it true.
Nothing new here, really. I always assumed the only people who still believed Iran wants nuclear weapons were delusional republicans. Ahmadinejad’s infamous comments are well known to be a mistranslation and clearly Israel is just as guilty of fear mongering if not more so. Not to mention Ahmadinejad will likely be voted out of office this June. But the more important point is the US needs to stop being the nanny of the middle east. Let them destroy each other. I could care less.
“Everything is a mistranslation.”
Hee, hee.
Normal Person: I rather not wait for Iran to have multiple nuclear bombs and missiles to find out if a regime that denies the Holocaust is sane.
Demoncrats: I might have to go to war, something I’ve attacked President Bush for, to stop these people. I’ll just wait and hope for the best, ie.. that the United States’s Constitution is replaced by the DNC Ruling Politburo.
Yeah, I can foresee our policy right now,
Hilliary to State Department
Step 1: Dig deep hole,
Step 2: Dig deeper hole,
Step 3: Stick head in hole,
Step 4: Stick ass in air,
Step 5: Fill hole with the rest of the dirt,
Step 6: While there with head in hole wait for someone with a couple balls to come and kick you ass!
Whatever……..
Traaxx
#20:”what does one do with money after the apocalypse? Doesn’t make good worm food.”
#19:”The Swiss would be happy toturn themover and keep the money.”
Hee, hee.
“Iranians aren’t suicidal.” – I agree, the vast majority of Iranians (and Muslims) are not suicidal. Unfortunately, the President of Iran appears to be an exception – he seems to be quite happy with the idea of starting a nuclear conflagration in the Middle East, starting with Tel-Aviv.
To build and run nuclear reactors for power, you don’t need 5,000+ cyclotrons.
Uncle Dave uses the term Israel’s paranoia
Israel’s paranoia???
With 4,000 Iranian financed rockets launched from Lebanon into Israel in the past year, I would say the Israeli attitude is perfectly justified.
Has anyone ever stopped to think about why Iran hates the US and Israel?
I mean behind the propaganda of our culture is against Islam and the jews are evil.
Anyone want to hazard a guess?
Cursor_
I’m sure the North Koreans are all great people too. We found out that the Soviets were really nice also. They just wanted Levis and hamburgers.
It’s just that, you know, their leader is nuts.
Seriously, people just freak out about “nuclear weapons!!!!” They have tons and tons of regular weapons that can do the job just as well without the radioactive fallout — which would probably blow onto them anyway.