You get these right-wingers claiming that the American demonstration of "resolve" is a good consequence of the Iraq War, the idea apparently being that we'll be better able to intimidate bad countries into changing their ways. If we actually were getting these benefits, I'd be impressed -- there's plenty of ways I'd want to make North Korea and Iran change their behavior. But look what's actually happened. North Korea looks to be test-launching long-range missiles, breaking a moratorium on launches that started in 1999, and Iran has moved ahead with its nuclear program. There's still plenty of hope for diplomacy in Iran's case, but we're in a much worse bargaining position than we were in three years ago.
Rather than frightening other countries into knuckling under, we scared them into improving their nuclear defenses against future American aggression, making the world a much more dangerous place. Just one more reason to avoid wanton invasions.
Rather than frightening other countries into knuckling under, we scared them into improving their nuclear defenses against future American aggression, making the world a much more dangerous place. Just one more reason to avoid wanton invasions.
2 comments:
Hard to believe but while Clinton was in office the North Korean nuclear program consisted of fuel rods lying in a pond monitored by satellite and Iran was presided over by a reformist president and Iranian students chanted "U S A! U S A!" after news of an American soccer victory. Amazing what a contempt for diplomacy can achieve.
parsec
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Did Iran and N. Korea react to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and speed up their nuke programs? or...
Was there an "axis of evil" that was working covertly to build their nuke program while Clinton was busy getting blown by subordinate government employees?
Gee, I wonder... the chicken or the egg?
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