Israel Cries Wolf

[Defekted]

Great one by Roger regarding the hysteria over Iran and how we shouldnt jump at the bait.


April 9, 2009
Op-Ed Columnist
Israel Cries Wolf
By ROGER COHEN
ISTANBUL — “Iran is the center of terrorism, fundamentalism and subversion and is in my view more dangerous than Nazism, because Hitler did not possess a nuclear bomb, whereas the Iranians are trying to perfect a nuclear option.”

Benjamin Netanyahu 2009? Try again. These words were in fact uttered by another Israeli prime minister (and now Israeli president), Shimon Peres, in 1996. Four years earlier, in 1992, he’d predicted that Iran would have a nuclear bomb by 1999.

You can’t accuse the Israelis of not crying wolf. Ehud Barak, now defense minister, said in 1996 that Iran would be producing nuclear weapons by 2004.

Now here comes Netanyahu, in an interview with his faithful stenographer Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, spinning the latest iteration of Israel’s attempt to frame Iran as some Nazi-like incarnation of evil:

“You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs. When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran.”

I must say when I read those words about “the wide-eyed believer” my mind wandered to a recently departed “decider.” But I’m not going there.

The issue today is Iran and, more precisely, what President Barack Obama will make of Netanyahu’s prescription that, the economy aside, Obama’s great mission is “preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons” — an eventuality newly inscribed on Israeli calendars as “months” away.

I’ll return to the ever shifting nuclear doomsday in a moment, but first that Netanyahu interview.

This “messianic apocalyptic cult” in Tehran is, of course, the very same one with which Israel did business during the 1980’s, when its interest was in weakening Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. That business — including sales of weapons and technology — was an extension of Israeli policy toward Iran under the shah.

It’s also the same “messianic apocalyptic cult” that has survived 30 years, ushered the country from the penury of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, shrewdly extended its power and influence, cooperated with America on Afghanistan before being consigned to “the axis of evil,” and kept its country at peace in the 21st century while bloody mayhem engulfed neighbors to east and west and Israel fought two wars.

I don’t buy the view that, as Netanyahu told Goldberg, Iran is “a fanatic regime that might put its zealotry above its self-interest.” Every scrap of evidence suggests that, on the contrary, self-interest and survival drive the mullahs.

Yet Netanyahu insists (too much) that Iran is “a country that glorifies blood and death, including its own self-immolation.” Huh?

On that ocular theme again, Netanyahu says Iran’s “composite leadership” has “elements of wide-eyed fanaticism that do not exist in any other would-be nuclear power in the world.” No, they exist in an actual nuclear power, Pakistan.

Israel’s nuclear warheads, whose function is presumably deterrence of precisely powers like Iran, go unmentioned, of course.

Netanyahu also makes the grotesque claim that the terrible loss of life in the Iran-Iraq war (started by Iraq) “didn’t sear a terrible wound into the Iranian consciousness.” It did just that, which is why Iran’s younger generation seeks reform but not upheaval; and why the country as a whole prizes stability over military adventure.

Arab states, Netanyahu suggests, “fervently hope” that America will, if necessary, use “military power” to stop Iran going nuclear. My recent conversations, including with senior Saudi officials, suggest that’s wrong and the longstanding Israeli attempt to convince Arab states that Iran, not Israel, is their true enemy will fail again.

What’s going on here? Israel, as it has for nearly two decades, is trying to lock in American support and avoid any disadvantageous change in the Middle Eastern balance of power, now overwhelmingly tilted in Jerusalem’s favor, by portraying Iran as a monstrous pariah state bent on imminent nuclear war.

A semblance of power balance is often the precondition for peace. Iran was left out of the Madrid and Oslo processes, with disastrous results. But that’s a discussion for another day.

What’s critical right now is that Obama view Netanyahu’s fear-mongering with an appropriate skepticism, rein him in, and pursue his regime-recognizing opening toward Tehran, as he did Wednesday by saying America would join nuclear talks for the first time. The president should read Trita Parsi’s excellent “Treacherous Alliance” as preparation.

The core strategic shift of Obama’s presidency has been away from the with-us-or-against-us rhetoric of the war on terror toward a rapprochement with the Muslim world as the basis for isolating terrorists.

That’s unsustainable if America or Israel find themselves at war with Muslim Persians as well as Muslim Arabs, and if Netanyahu’s intense-eyed attempt to suck America into a perpetuation of war-on-terror thinking prevails.

The only way to stop Iran going nuclear, and encourage reform of a repressive regime, is to get to the negotiating table. There’s time. Those “months” are still a couple of years. What Iran has accumulated is low-enriched uranium. You need highly-enriched uranium for a bomb. That’s a leap.

Israeli hegemony is proving a kind of slavery. Passage to the Promised Land involves rethinking the Middle East, starting in Iran.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/op...gewanted=print

[jameznyhc]

It was Obama in his speech to AIPAC that he assured israel he would never let Iran go nuclear .. hope he knows something the brits and french have failed at for the past 6 years at the negotiating table.. Too bad this reporter doesnt say .. IRAN been laughing in Barrys face since he was elected and isnt going to do shit cause of "nice words" .. Iran wants to see a sharp tuen in US policy first ... so now what????

[jameznyhc]

Obama to aipac... Hmm sounds just like BiBi netayahu huh?

Iran’s President Ahmadinejad’s regime is a threat to all of us. His
words contain a chilling echo of some of the world’s most tragic
history.

Unfortunately, history has a terrible way of repeating itself. President
Ahmadinejad has denied the Holocaust. He held a conference in his
country, claiming it was a myth. But we know the Holocaust was as real as
the 6 million who died in mass graves at Buchenwald, or the cattle cars to
Dachau or whose ashes clouded the sky at Auschwitz. We have seen the
pictures. We have walked the halls of the Holocaust museum in Washington
and Yad Vashem. We have touched the tattoos on loved-ones arms. After 60
years, it is time to deny the deniers.

In the 21^st century, it is unacceptable that a member state of the United
Nations would openly call for the elimination of another member state. But
that is exactly what he has done. Neither Israel nor the United States has
the luxury of dismissing these outrages as mere rhetoric.

The world must work to stop Iran’s uranium enrichment program and
prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It is far too dangerous to
have nuclear weapons in the hands of a radical theocracy. And while we
should take no option, including military action, off the table, sustained
and aggressive diplomacy combined with tough sanctions should be our
primary means to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons.

Iranian nuclear weapons would destabilize the region and could set off a
new arms race. Some nations in the region, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia
and Turkey, could fall away from restraint and rush into a nuclear contest
that could fuel greater instability in the region—that’s not just bad
for the Middle East, but bad for the world, making it a vastly more
dangerous and unpredictable place. Other nations would feel great pressure
to accommodate Iranian demands. Terrorist groups with Iran’s backing
would feel emboldened to act even more brazenly under an Iranian nuclear
umbrella. And as the A.Q. Kahn network in Pakistan demonstrated, Iran
could spread this technology around the world.

To prevent this worst-case scenario, we need the United States to lead
tough-minded diplomacy.

This includes direct engagement with Iran similar to the meetings we
conducted with the Soviets at the height of the Cold War, laying out in
clear terms our principles and interests. Tough-minded diplomacy would
include real leverage through stronger sanctions. It would mean more
determined U.S diplomacy at the United Nations. It would mean harnessing
the collective power of our friends in Europe who are Iran’s major
trading partners. It would mean a cooperative strategy with Gulf States
who supply Iran with much of the energy resources it needs. It would mean
unifying those states to recognize the threat of Iran and increase pressure
on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment. It would mean full implementation
of U.S. sanctions laws. And over the long term, it would mean a focused
approach from us to finally end the tyranny of oil, and develop our own
alternative sources of energy to drive the price of oil down

[darius]

regardless of Israel's crying wolf, as this writer puts it, the Islamic Republic of Iran has something grave coming to it. now this may be conducted under the banner of the prevention of nuclear proliferation or whatever the popular term of the day may be. the government of Iran, whether of its own desire or just as a result of circumstance, has been thrust into the international spotlight. not only has its nuclear ambitions come under that spotlight, but more and more, the world is examining all aspects of its political and social order (and subsequently, its chaos and mischief).

now, let us remind ourselves of the story of the boy who cried wolf. initially, the first few times he cried wolf, the villagers came running with no wolf in sight, and boy sat back and chuckled. finally the last time he cried wolf, there really was a wolf, the villagers ignored it and the boy was mauled and killed. make no mistake, Israel is not that little boy. if there really is a wolf, i don't believe there will be any hesitation on Israel's part to dismember it. what i regret may happen is that the wolf might invite its pals, the bear (Russia) and the giant panda (China) to the party. regardless of whether or not that happens, i believe our nation won't be in any position to do squat about it one way or another.
let's put the nuclear issue aside. clearly, of all the nations in the Middle-East, Iran is the most ambitious to making its mark on world/global affairs -- be it economic, social, or otherwise. the Islamic Republic is attempting to thrust itself into the second or even first world. does it not warrant deliberate and calculated scrutiny? i agree that the first steps should be to approach the negotiating table, but no one wants to sit at the table and have other party lie to its face. i say we still try to sit down, thoroughly talk it out and the moment either side (and yes, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard) are blatantly lying with unequivocal proof, end it there and throw down the glove. i feel we have little room for error at that table -- we can't wiggle and dance our way around tough questions/points of the past and present. by the same token, however, if Mahmoud wants to feed us the same bullshit of the last however many years he's been feeding the world at the UN or elsewhere, i'm sorry but we should slap the taste out of that smug bastard's mouth and i'm absolutely fine with Israel taking the lead on that dance.

[DINO nYc]

regardless of Israel's crying wolf, as this writer puts it, the Islamic Republic of Iran has something grave coming to it. now this may be conducted under the banner of the prevention of nuclear proliferation or whatever the popular term of the day may be. the government of Iran, whether of its own desire or just as a result of circumstance, has been thrust into the international spotlight. not only has its nuclear ambitions come under that spotlight, but more and more, the world is examining all aspects of its political and social order (and subsequently, its chaos and mischief).

now, let us remind ourselves of the story of the boy who cried wolf. initially, the first few times he cried wolf, the villagers came running with no wolf in sight, and boy sat back and chuckled. finally the last time he cried wolf, there really was a wolf, the villagers ignored it and the boy was mauled and killed. make no mistake, Israel is not that little boy. if there really is a wolf, i don't believe there will be any hesitation on Israel's part to dismember it. what i regret may happen is that the wolf might invite its pals, the bear (Russia) and the giant panda (China) to the party. regardless of whether or not that happens, i believe our nation won't be in any position to do squat about it one way or another.
let's put the nuclear issue aside. clearly, of all the nations in the Middle-East, Iran is the most ambitious to making its mark on world/global affairs -- be it economic, social, or otherwise. the Islamic Republic is attempting to thrust itself into the second or even first world. does it not warrant deliberate and calculated scrutiny? i agree that the first steps should be to approach the negotiating table, but no one wants to sit at the table and have other party lie to its face. i say we still try to sit down, thoroughly talk it out and the moment either side (and yes, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard) are blatantly lying with unequivocal proof, end it there and throw down the glove. i feel we have little room for error at that table -- we can't wiggle and dance our way around tough questions/points of the past and present. by the same token, however, if Mahmoud wants to feed us the same bullshit of the last however many years he's been feeding the world at the UN or elsewhere, i'm sorry but we should slap the taste out of that smug bastard's mouth and i'm absolutely fine with Israel taking the lead on that dance.

Very well put.

[TrippinFace101]

U know iran hates America fyi

[TrippinFace101]

Heres a reminder

[Defekted]

regardless of Israel's crying wolf, as this writer puts it, the Islamic Republic of Iran has something grave coming to it. now this may be conducted under the banner of the prevention of nuclear proliferation or whatever the popular term of the day may be. the government of Iran, whether of its own desire or just as a result of circumstance, has been thrust into the international spotlight. not only has its nuclear ambitions come under that spotlight, but more and more, the world is examining all aspects of its political and social order (and subsequently, its chaos and mischief).

now, let us remind ourselves of the story of the boy who cried wolf. initially, the first few times he cried wolf, the villagers came running with no wolf in sight, and boy sat back and chuckled. finally the last time he cried wolf, there really was a wolf, the villagers ignored it and the boy was mauled and killed. make no mistake, Israel is not that little boy. if there really is a wolf, i don't believe there will be any hesitation on Israel's part to dismember it. what i regret may happen is that the wolf might invite its pals, the bear (Russia) and the giant panda (China) to the party. regardless of whether or not that happens, i believe our nation won't be in any position to do squat about it one way or another.
let's put the nuclear issue aside. clearly, of all the nations in the Middle-East, Iran is the most ambitious to making its mark on world/global affairs -- be it economic, social, or otherwise. the Islamic Republic is attempting to thrust itself into the second or even first world. does it not warrant deliberate and calculated scrutiny? i agree that the first steps should be to approach the negotiating table, but no one wants to sit at the table and have other party lie to its face. i say we still try to sit down, thoroughly talk it out and the moment either side (and yes, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard) are blatantly lying with unequivocal proof, end it there and throw down the glove. i feel we have little room for error at that table -- we can't wiggle and dance our way around tough questions/points of the past and present. by the same token, however, if Mahmoud wants to feed us the same bullshit of the last however many years he's been feeding the world at the UN or elsewhere, i'm sorry but we should slap the taste out of that smug bastard's mouth and i'm absolutely fine with Israel taking the lead on that dance.

I completely disagree with you regarding our role to smack the taste out of his mouth (assuming an analogy for military use). Have we not learned an important lesson from Iraq? and the disaster that was for us and the world? We are NOT the police of the world and Iran has not attacked us in any way (except for the training of shia militias in iraq that have been found to be attacking both us forces and sunni iraqis)..... diplomacy is the only option right now. And by definition, diplomacy does not mean calling the other party "evil" and not talking to them like a pissy 3rd grader. (a higher standard means not being scared about how "we look" when we bow to a head of state, or how we "appease" iranians by talking to them).... thats garbage rightwing nonesense that i dont subscribe to.

The iranians HAVE to find a way to cleanse themselves internally. If Israel, for their own ambitions, want to strike iran, go the fuck ahead, but we should not be there to back them for their reckless act. They should finally take responsibility for their own actions. If thousands of katushas rain down on northern israel of hezbullah right after, dont be suprised. Iran isnt stupid and they have contingent plans to ensure that pain is felt on all parties that play a role in striking them first.

Obama and co. need to end this nonesense of not talking to them.... end the bullshit, show the world you are the serious guy you hold yourself as..... go to tehran, sit with the mullahs, give them a position (something offered in return for their nuclear program) and see where that goes....because all the current bush stance is doing is our silence leading to their nukes..... now we are nearing a confrontation between israel and iran..... and because we were fucking silent for 8 years when we could have made serious progress...... its another example (among the fucking 500) where obama has to sweep up bush's mess

[jameznyhc]

I completely disagree with you regarding our role to smack the taste out of his mouth (assuming an analogy for military use). Have we not learned an important lesson from Iraq? and the disaster that was for us and the world? We are NOT the police of the world and Iran has not attacked us in any way (except for the training of shia militias in iraq that have been found to be attacking both us forces and sunni iraqis)..... diplomacy is the only option right now. And by definition, diplomacy does not mean calling the other party "evil" and not talking to them like a pissy 3rd grader. (a higher standard means not being scared about how "we look" when we bow to a head of state, or how we "appease" iranians by talking to them).... thats garbage rightwing nonesense that i dont subscribe to.

The iranians HAVE to find a way to cleanse themselves internally. If Israel, for their own ambitions, want to strike iran, go the fuck ahead, but we should not be there to back them for their reckless act. They should finally take responsibility for their own actions. If thousands of katushas rain down on northern israel of hezbullah right after, dont be suprised. Iran isnt stupid and they have contingent plans to ensure that pain is felt on all parties that play a role in striking them first.

Obama and co. need to end this nonesense of not talking to them.... end the bullshit, show the world you are the serious guy you hold yourself as..... go to tehran, sit with the mullahs, give them a position (something offered in return for their nuclear program) and see where that goes....because all the current bush stance is doing is our silence leading to their nukes..... now we are nearing a confrontation between israel and iran..... and because we were fucking silent for 8 years when we could have made serious progress...... its another example (among the fucking 500) where obama has to sweep up bush's mess

... boy you really have no clue huh


http://www.nightclubcity.com/forum/s...d.php?t=200217

[David Nights]

Israel is scared for their survival. America is not. You put a someone against a corner and then what you expect is going to happen?