Belman: Only an attack on Iran can contain her

By Ted Belman

Bret Stephens writing in Commentary makes the case Iran cannot be contained.. The same people who make the case that it can were the ones advocating “engagement”. Engagement has failed and containment will too.

The US had a policy of containment with Sadaam Hussain that cost them $150 billion a year. The US had the advantage of controlling the Iraqi skies. She got the UN to impose sanctions to further control Iraq, all to no avail. $22 billion was siphoned off and used to corrupt everybody. Iraq increased her defiance and finally the US had to invade and get rid of Hussain. So much for containment.

Now all this containment talk regarding Iran is nonsense. Both Bush and Obama are to blame for the failure of the west to contain Iran. Iran has spread its influence to Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and who knows where else. They didn’t even try. But they did try to prevent Iran from getting the bomb. Even that they couldn’t do.

Europe is now supporting sanctions. I wonder if they feel threatened directly with the bomb or if they are really trying to contain Iran’s control of the ME.

Thus I believe that the overriding issue should be to stop the spreading influence of Iran. Stephens argues that if Iran had thge bomb, we won’t be able to contain them. I argue that without the bomb, we haven’t been able to contain them. That leaves only war.