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| Yes | 40% | 19 votes | Total: 47 votes | |
| No | 60% | 28 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesBoth the United States and Israel have been trying to pick a war with Iran for quite a while. Yet Iran, who hasn't attacked or invaded anyone in the last 200 years, is trying to maintain it's integrity while preparing to defend itself against two nuclear powers. One would think that Iran is a sitting duck with it's minuscule defense budget and surrounded by U.S. occupied Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
From the sound of Obama's speech at the U.N. recently, our president sure thinks he's got them licked. However, I think Obama and Netanyahu are counting their oil fields before they're confiscated.
While the U.S. and Israel have been banging their war drums, Iran has been making friends. Other independent oil producing nations such as Venezuela and Brazil have been working closely with Iran over the past 3 years hoping that there truly is strength in numbers. They are trading technology, information, and wisdom hoping to stave off the much more powerful nations breathing down their necks.
As reported in Bloomberg, Ahmadinejad said Iran's relations with Brazil "have no limits" and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela said his country and Iran will stand together against "the North American Empire". They are like the little guys uniting to defend themselves from the bully on the block.
But Iran and the other oil rich countries of South America are not the only problems that Israel and the U.S. will have if they attack Iran. Russia is willing to step up to the plate. And unlike Iran, Venezuela, and Brazil, Russia is well armed. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has been fairly non-threatening to the world community.
However, like a sleeping giant, it does it's best to remain equal to the military power of the United States. In the event that the U.S. and Israel attempt a regime change in Iran, the sleeping giant will awaken.
Prior to his election, President Obama promised Israel that he would ensure "Israel's qualitative military advantage" by "fully funding military assistance and continuing work on the Arrow and related missile defense programs". Had Obama thought that by supporting Israel's desire to eliminate Iran he would provoke Russia, perhaps he might not have made these promises so easily.
Iran cannot eliminate Israel by itself. It doesn't have the fire power and Iran's constitution forbids any war of aggression. However, it's very likely that Iran can defend itself if attacked because that will draw the fire power of it's allies. This, in turn, could provoke World War 3. And though Iran has never said it wanted to "wipe Israel off the map", that just may happen if the U.S. and Israel continues it's belligerence. I hope Obama is as prepared as he thinks he is.
Learn more about this author, Sandi Crain.
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No
The notion that a sitting, retired or potential President of the United States would even contemplate allowing Iran or any other fundamentalist government eliminate Israel is a disturbingly preposterous idea. While it is true that the Obama administration has adopted a more conservative approach to the ever present threat that Iran poses not only to Israel but the world in general, this must be viewed in an objective context. The Bush administrations strong arm tactics against Iran and the other various named and insinuated nations that formed the Axis of Evil left the United States in a very precarious position. Already involved in two prolonged and resources intensive armed conflicts thanks to the short sightedness of the Bush administration, the United States was left in a relatively impotent position to handle other flare ups that were already brewing during the past administration.
Knowing how spread out our armed forces and also understanding the damaged reputation on the world stage the United States suffered during the previous administrations eight year reign President Obama is looking for alternative measures to handle potential conflicts before they burst at the seams. This is admittedly a radical departure to the Bush's policy of forcing bad situations into worse situations by bullying nations through military force. However it is not an indication of a willingness to let an unspeakable act of genocide to occur for the sake of keeping Iran happy.
Despite what the Bush administration has tried to indoctrinate into the minds of all Americans over the past eight years, peace is patriotic. President Obama is trying to approach Iran and other international hotspots under the philosophy of peaceful co-existence rather than the Bush tactic of forced subservience. Recognizing that the proud ideals of freedom and peace that American once stood for have been tarnished by overly aggressive and foolishly short sighted militant policies of the Bush administration, Present Obama is focusing on diplomatic efforts that will hopefully spare the country additional bloodshed. To interpret his peaceful intentions at international politics as a resolution to abandon support for Israel is a foolish conclusion and one that speaks of just how indoctrinated this country has become to the Bush foreign policy.
Only time will tell just how supportive President Obama will be should his diplomatic approach to Iran turn to a need for military action. To think that the President or the American people would allow another Hitler-like holocaust to occur shows a great lack of faith in the American people and in humanity in general. It seems highly unlikely that the United States would allow any country to be eliminated should it have the power to alter the outcome. This is even more true with the state of Israel, a staunch ally and vitally important bastion of support in an otherwise hostile environment.
In his short time in office to date President Obama has demonstrated the ability to analyze an issue from multiple perspectives and wisdom to listen to all aspects of a conversation then make sound, fair and logical decisions based on all the information presented. It is this systematic approach to international politics that we are seeing in his handling of the Iran issue. It is an approach that will surely demonstrate our nations support for Israel while at the same time showing an understanding of the issues of the Arab world. Instead of rushing into the situation from a position of assumed superiority and inflaming one or both sides as previously demonstrated by less savvy administrations, President Obama's more cautious approach may prove more effective. It surely can't prove any less effective than what the Bush administrations pitiful attempts have shown on the same subject.
Learn more about this author, Joseph Whalen.
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