by Walter Onubogu

Created on: November 14, 2009

America should not attack Iran, it isn't a viable strategy and it is bound to falter eventually. First, America is overstretched in terms of its military engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq and doesn't need more served up the silver platter, resources are scarce too.

Secondly, for all those who don't realise Iran isn't Iraq, nor has it been weakened by rounds of UN sanctions or economic embargoes, thus it hasn't been rendered ripe for invasion.

I am sure most Republican hawks and neo-conservative associates (i.e like Richard Pearle or all those labouring for the American Enterprise Institute ect ) in Washington DC, are highly disgruntled and alarmed by the fact that Iran is becoming a regional powerhouse has been and is currently defying the international community and America by developing its nuclear program with rapid speed.

Nothing has deterred them, nor have diplomatic engagements that employ "carrots" (i.e. willingness of West to transfer civilian nuclear technology to Iran if it allows random inspections to all nuclear sites by the International Atomic Agency and sends its uranium to Russia and France to be processed) and "sticks" ( 3 rounds of UN sanctions sponsored by US, UK, France, Israel etc) really brought about a change of mind or heart in Tehran.

Frankly the mullahs have little to worry about in terms of real threats in form external invasion or aggression from US. The Democratic led administration under President Obama unlike its Republican counterparts, is quite aware about Iran and hasn't caved into the pressure and lobbying of the Jewish lobby in US or the right wing Jewish government of Binjamin Netanjahu.

President Obama, unlike his hawkish predecessor isn't hell bent on war with Iran, but is willing to endorse the full exhaustion of diplomatic tools, even if all the options remain on the table. Mind you, diplomatic vagueness is part of the political game that all governments play, in order to maintain as much flexibility as possible to as to safeguard their position.

Iran is truly a conundrum for American policymakers in the Middle East, because it presents a big dilemma. On the one had, the desire for affecting regime change remains an underlying objective (even for Democrats in the White House), while on the other there is also a wish by the Democrats not to antagonize the Iranian population and undermine the liberal minded reformist movement led by Mir Hossein Mousavi within Iran from becoming a viable opposition to the ruling hardline

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