I think you would find the other link I posted about Iran interesting. It proves your point about Podhoretz&Co seeking a war with Iran, despite the dire predictions of such.


>Hi Charles :)
>I decided to stay out of political chatter from now, so will just
>reply partially on this one and stop there.
>
>>
>>>I believe that if situation and climate in the region was different, then Iran could be made to abolish it's nuclear program though series of high summit open talks with them.
>>>But that would include threating them with due respect, respect their borders and state, stop military provocations, offer economic incentives,
>>>compromise solutions (Russia had some proposals) etc.
>>>But if you believe they are madman (as this guy advocates), threat them as madman, insist on whole world threating them as madman - then not meny things are possible then eventual confrontation with devastationg consequences.
>
>>
>>You may be right - though I do think the current government in Iran is not going to be responsive to the kind of rational analysis that will be required. They really don't see a downside to having nuclear weapons and I do believe that is their firm intention. I do not believe for one minute they only want nuclear power for peaceful purposes - do you ?
>
>No. Just like everybody else here I believe that their nuclear research would eventually lead to making weapons.
>
>Problem is that situation in the region that has been created in past 7 years
>greatly increases their desire to have them. Regime there fears that in a world after 9/11 they could easily become fair game for invasion/regime overturn from outside, (folowed by mass devastation and 10-30 years of total mess) so they think that having them would be deterent to such tendencies.
>
>If there was not for a last two wars and all this mess, today their mullahs would have been probably dicussing problems of Iran's youth not conforming to core Islamic rules/values and nagging about 'western influences', rather then thinking desperately how to preserve their very state/regime there.
>
>Next to it, you have Israel as regional power who do posses nuclear weapons
>and whom they consider as a big threat, just as Israel considers them to be one.
>
>So if you stop war (which is easier said then done) and calm down the
>region, then they would not have any excuse to have them.
>Nuclear weapons would be simply much lower on their priority list and there4 would be much easier to negotiate with them abandoning them all together.
>
>This might not please Podhoretz&Co , but I am sure would make meny ordinary Americans very happy.
>
>Peace :)