At Time, Tony Karon worries that "military action" rhetoric against Iran will develop its own "momentum." And who is driving this bus, Netanyahu or Obama?
It has, of course, become par for the course over the past five years for Israel and its allies to imply that war is imminent whenever the international community's schedule turns to Iran. With Obama Administration officials, speaking anonymously, hyping the IAEA report as a "gotcha" moment that will leave little doubt of Iran's intentions, the saber-rattling fits a familiar pattern of seeking to scare reluctant international players into adopting tougher sanctions on Iran as the lesser evil necessary if only to restrain Israel from launching a war that could set the Middle East ablaze.
The messages coming from Israel are mixed: Intelligence correspondents in the Israeli media make clear that war talk is part of a strategy to raise pressure on Iran, while a number of senior security establishment figures have denounced the talk of bombing, and what they see as Netanyahu's alarmist rhetoric....
Still, Netanyahu's rhetoric could create its own momentum. There's no easy way back from preparing the Israeli public for a war against what they're told is an implacable exterminationist threat. And it appears unlikely, right now, that the revelations in the IAEA report are likely to persuade Russia and China to back the escalation of sanctions that Washington will demand at the Security Council. Moscow and Beijing believe that the route of sanctions and pressure is unlikely to produce a positive outcome.
I haven’t heard much about the possibility that Iran has biological weapons. Even with the assurance of Uri Avnery’s Column this is still a very dangerous game. It could become the war that no one wanted.
I don’t think so. I think at this point, the world will be willing to let Israel commit national suicide – that’s why there is “reluctance” among international players to appease Israel, the world is tired of being held hostage.
That’s what I hope/think. Israel has a lot of friends making it out to be some sort of mega global concern using fear mongering propaganda with the usual suspect neocons pushing it. Israeli press is literally asking the US/West to do it for them, even Fabricating accounts that we are planning for it. Keep repeating a lie and eventually people believe it.
The past decade and the internet have made even normal people into skeptics. The problem is they still get what they want. There was several reports of multiple suspects and arrests in Oslo but the media buried it as a ridiculous lone wolf operation. They still get there was establishing the ‘truth’ but can they start a war?
Peter Hartcher is doing his bit.
link to smh.com.au
But the comments show that he hasn’t sold it to everyone.
RE: “who is driving this [bomb Iran or bust] bus, Netanyahu or Obama?” ~ Weiss
MY COMMENT: Or Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, Libby, Wolfowitz, Abrams, etc.
ALSO SEE: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Iran: Secrets of the Troika ~ by Michael Teitelman, Counterpunch, 11/03/11
SOURCE – link to counterpunch.org
maybe bush was quite happy to talk with sharon everyday, unlike obama who has to deal with netanyahu every day…
that’s dumbocracy for ya… bunch of stupid people thinking their vote has any say in any of this….
One result of our spurning that Iranian offer was that Khatami was replaced by Ahmedinejad.
that is pure nonsense. does anyone have access to this?
RE: “that is pure nonsense. does anyone have access to
this?” ~ Am_America
REPLY: Why don’t you have access? Does Israel (like China) block certain websites?
Try that Google thingy, clueless. There are many, many articles on this. Hint: it is sometimes referred to as the “grand bargain”.
If Israel doesn’t also block PBS, take a look at this, clueless. – link to pbs.org
I posted in another article, but I strongly expect them to develop their own momentum. This is for several reasons:
1) It’s an organized campaign. There are hundreds of voices in the commentator class pushing this meme.
2) The campaign is in both Israel and the US, with voices playing off each other, including using the classic meme that the US must attack Iran in order to head off Israel doing something worse (it’s better for everyone, including the Iranians).
3) Obama is doing nothing to resist it. He’ helping the campaign be spreading the most absurd anti-Iran storylines, including the Scary Iran Plot (car dealers and Mexican assassins) and the Iran nuclear program (being steadily smashed by b at Moon of Alabama, but I don’t expect facts to get in the way).
4) Much of the media appears complicit, framing the discussion using the Administration’s and warmongers’ framing. You could call this complicity or simply weak journalism, but the practical effect is the same.
5) We’re in a political season. No one can appear soft right now (including Obama, whose only real advantage is foreign policy), and endlessly stepping up the rhetoric is a good way for every politician to stay in the news.
6) Obama’s mike caught him saying he has to deal with Netanyahu “every day.” Speaking as someone who wants Israel and Palestine to be a much bigger issue, WTF? The President gets a daily brief on terrorism threats, not on Israel. If Netanyahu is that central American planning, it involves issues outside Israel, meaning that at an absolute minimum an attack on Iran is under serious discussion at the presidential level at this very moment.
BTW, one item I left out is that I think there is SOME strategic rationale to the US position (though it is largely lost in the rhetoric and warmongering), but I don’t think the US strategic position is tenable.
The US position on the Iranian nuclear program: For all the hype and hoopla about the IAEA report, it appears to be a rehash of old claims (the Laptop of Death) along with a few new accusations that are largely basesless (see Moon of Alabama). Hence, the IAEA report doesn’t get the real US strategic position. The real US red-line that might be being crossed right now, is Iran moving nuclear facilities to very heavily reinforced underground that are impervious to conventional attack (or maybe just impervious to battle damage assessment). Forgive me for quoting Goldberg, but at least he acknowledges this central fact:
link to theatlantic.com
Goldberg quotes this as the Israeli position, but it is the US position. Hence, PART of the reason the Obama Administration is upping the rhetoric right now is to bluff Iran to halt or delay the moving of facilities deep underground.
The problem is that the US position is untenable:
1) It appears unjust on its face. Moving underground is a solely defensive action with no offensive component. It’s hard to explain why this is so threatening the US must go to war over it. Further, it’s entirely within Iran’s rights and territories.
2) It isn’t a clear red-line. What would be the red line? Reinforcing roofs of facilities? Simple cut and cover facilities? Dispersing facilities to too many locations? A ultra-protected NORAD-style facility under a mountain? Where exactly is the line?
3) This kind of activity can’t be tracked well. Tracking uranium is one thing, but this activity can be done by any construction crew. It’s hard to draw a red line around things you can’t watch.
4) This kind of activity is going on anyway. Every Iranian military or governemnt facility will have underground facilities for protection, quite independent from the nuclear issue. Hence, a whole lot of this construction activity is going on no matter what.
In the end, the one component of this warmongering that has a strategic component (demand that Iran expose its facilities to bombing or else be bombed) is structurally almost certain to fail. This fact will be used to convince GENUINE national security experts that must attack.
When did the USA become the Israel???
They should officially announce it to the unaware public.
“As of ……….. We became ONE nation with Israel.
Our ,so called , president, responds to Israeli president…
Whatever Israeli government decides, we’ll do.
No questions asked. Period.”
The sad part is that even if they would do something like that, a majority of public would say :”dugh”,”ough” “yeah”, “what is lady Gaga wearing lately?”
“is Kim gonna get married pretty soon ,again?”
I do not like the regime in Iran but when somebody has self nuclear energy and nuclear weapons I do not see how you make a case to attack Iran. Let us not forget that the US has been the only nation ever who has used it, as consequence 300,000 civilians dead or wounded.
What so “regime” about Iran??
No ! Russia, China, France and Germany are openly against it, the Brits prefere to sit on the fence for a while. Iran is primary trade partner in Mideast and an atractive investment spot for all of them only if left alone.
Americans are not too crazy either to be a proxy so that leaves the zionist warmongers alone. They’ll keep ranting but that’s all they can do,…
link to ynetnews.com
By the way, all those governments that I mentioned above do realise that today 2/3 of Iranians would like the Mullahs out of politics but in case of attack they’ll become one and trigger a chain reaction in Shia’s World that we can’t afford it.
All you need to know about Irans (and Israels) nukes:
link to israeli-occupation.org
It’s like a toxic relationship spiralling out of control. Not only that between US/Israel, but the manner in which all the neocon pundits bounce their poisonous anti-Iran nonsense off each other until they all believe each others lies confirm their own, and completely shut down and shut out any voices of reason. The same crap that got us all into Iraq recycled and rejigged to make a play against Iran. It’s criminal, yet they’re still free, and neither has a single one of them lost a job – while those voicing reason have.
Its a possibility.
The best remedy is the better argument.
DON’T NEGLECT TO MAKE IT IN FAVOR OF “BLAME THE MESSENGER”!!!!!!!
No, Witty, let’s blame the warmongers who SENT the messengers!
(ps, is that better, mods? :) )
Bettter yet, let’s blame the warmongers who have the gall to say that the deaths of Iranians is a good thing.
Bumblebye: “It’s like a toxic relationship spiralling out of control.”
I think of the Zionist state’s ‘Spitting Jews’ — and their rabbis’s increasing clout in parliament and cabinet, in the security apparatus and military.
And the ever-widening discrimination against women — the ‘Spitting Jews’ are behind this retrogressive campaign.
It is boggling to think Haredi rabbis and their followers — who are not ‘manly’ Jewish types imo — will soon have control of Israel’s nuclear arms.
Their “spiritual” leader has already told Bibi under no circumstances to demolish any of the illegal West Bank settlements (even those slated for removal):
link to ynetnews.com
re your nuke fears, one thread on FailedMessiah very recently had a comment that the author knew Haredim who would rather nuke TelAviv before anywhere else, considering the elimination of “heretic zionists” a priority. Washington and Israel – both insane asylums!
“It has, of course, become par for the course over the past five years for Israel and its allies to imply that war is imminent whenever the international community’s schedule turns to Iran.”
The stage for an attack started being set almost immidiately after the invasion of Iraq. Gaffney, Woolsey, Reuel Marc Gerecht, Cheney, Bolton, Micheal Rubin, Kagan, “mushroom cloud” Rice, Kristol, Frum , Pollack were everyhere in the MSM repeating that Iran had a nuclear weapons program..or had a nuclear weapon.
Then during the run up to the 2008 Presidential Clinton, McCain, Obama etc were all repeating these unsubstantiated claims