The Opinion Journal of the WSJ featured an interview by James Taranto of Bibi Netanyahu titled Dealing With Iran.
True to form, Bibi rails against Iran but acknowledges military strikes would pose “complications and difficulties” and thus “should be a last resort.”
Mr. Netanyahu proposes a third way. The Iranian regime, he argues, is economically vulnerable. He is in America to urge state and local pension funds to divest from foreign companies that do business in Iran (U.S. law already keeps American firms out).
That’s it. That’s his plan. Why do we need the heir apparent to the PM job in Israel coming to America to tell Americans that divestment is the answer. If there is any alternative to attacking Iran, the US will find it.
Bibi should be here promoting a “shock and awe” campaign against Iraq until it suffers utter defeat. The Mullahs and the Revolutionary Guard and most of the nuclear facilities can be destroyed from the air. Then special ops will be landed around each nuclear facility to make sure it is totally destroyed.
MK Efie Eitam recently advised US congressmen that Israel is united in its resolve to prevent Iran from getting the bomb. Why is Bibi giving an alternate message?
Jihadists should not be tolerated. They should be destroyed.
Larry,
Your ideas on sanctions are good and well thought out. But you seem to be very muddled in your thinking and your awareness of whom you are addressing. There is absolutely no chance that the present Governments in Europe and in America will do this, because they have ties which continually draw them to Islamic Fascism.
Yugoslavia, the destruction of that country, the hounding of its leaders, the dragging of its President into a Court which was set up and paid for, and directed, by the US, the EU and by NATO.
In this these ruling bodies all joined with Iran and with Fascist Saudi Arabia in importing Islamist killers into the Balkans.
What makes you think that either the Democrats or Republicans will do anything to stop Iran? Do you think that pressure from the American mass movement will make them do so. I am certain that pressure will not do so.
There is an alternative but it has to be the revolutionary road that has to be taken.
By the way Israel has the right to strike in any way it sees fit against the Iranian Nuclear facility, based solely on the threats that Ahmadinejad made to destroy Israel.
The topic of the post is correct. Netanyahu has failed even before taking control of the Israeli state.
Dear Laura:
An attack on Iran would be a disaster. It must only be as a last resort. THE US NEEDS TO IMMEDIATELY IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON IRAN – RECIPROCAL SANCTIONS. ANY NATION THAT REFUSES TO OBEY THESE SANCTIONS THEN THE ENTIRE SANCTION REGIME WOULD APPLY TO THEM i.e. DEFCON 1 TO DEFCON 4. Iran is very weak economically and cannot withstand full fledged sanctions. It’s economy will collapse.
Larry
Dear Laura:
An attack on Iran would be a disaster. Iy must only be as a last resort. THE US NEEDS TO IMMEDIATELY IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON IRAN – RECRIPORCIAL SANCTIONS. ANY NATION THAT REFUSES TO OBEY THESE SANCTIONS THEN THE ENTIRE SANCTION REGIME WOULD APPLY TO THEm i.e. DEFCON 1 TO DEFCON 4. iran is very weak economically and cannot with stand full fledged sanctions. ITS ECONOMY will collapse.
Larry
He must be aware that a military response is the only thing that will stop Iran. I suppose Bibi doesn’t want it to be perceived that Israel is pushing America into war.
IT’S ALL ABOUT IRAN
A DRAMATIC NEW APPROACH TO IRANIAN SANCTIONS
We need to deal with Iran now otherwise the US could be left at one minute to midnight with no other option but to attack Iran. The longer the US waits to impose a meaningful sanction regime against Iran, the greater the necessity of military action will become – with all the potential disastrous political and economic consequences for both parties.
THE REALITY IS THE US DOES NOT NEED CHINA OR RUSSIA TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN. THE US CAN IMPOSE DEVASTATING RECIPROCAL SANCTIONS
The United States with or without EU/Russia/China support immediately imposes economic and political sanctions against Iran. The sanction regime is divided into 4 parts – Defcom 1 to Defcom 4 with each phase commencing every 30 days and staying in effect until the crisis is resolved. Within the space of 4 months Iran will be under total world wide devastating economic sanctions. ANY INDIVIDUAL, CORPORATION, COUNTRY THAT DISOBEYS ANY PART OF THE SANCTION REGIME – THEN THE TOTALITY OF THE ENTIRE SANCTION REGIME IMMEDIATELY APPLIES TO THEM.
DEFCON 1 SANCTIONS
Under Defcon 1 sanctions Iran is immediately hit with the following measures:
1. The cutting off of all military and nuclear technology, materials, training, building including the Bushehr nuclear power plant being built by the Russians.
2. The suspension of all flights – both private and commercial aircraft in or out of Iran.
3. The worldwide banning of all Iranian passports.
4. Severing all banking relationships between all Iranian Government agencies/officials/organizations, banks, companies, front companies with the entire world banking community.
5. The freezing of all Iranian assets throughout the world including all assets of Iranian Government, Iranian companies, front companies, government officials/organizations.
DEFCON 2
In 30 days, if Iran refuses to stop all uranium enrichment and sit down at the table in good faith then the imposition of the following Defcon 2 Sanctions:
1. The immediate stoppage of all forms of transportation coming in or out of Iran including, buses, automobiles, boats. Only oil tankers would be exempt.
2. Cutting off of all satellite signals, phone lines, internet connections, electricity etc.
3. The complete closure of all border crossings to Iran.
4. The complete shutting down of all economic activity/trade with the outside world except for the importation of gasoline into Iran and the export of oil and gas out of Iran.
DEFCON 3
Thirty days after the imposition of Defcon 2 sanctions, the start of Defcon 3:
1. The importation of gasoline into Iran to be ceased by all countries, companies and individuals.
DEFCON 4
120 days after the start of the first sanction regime – Defcon 4 – the stoppage of all payments for Iranian oil and gas exports – NOT THE STOPPAGE OF THE EXPORT OF IRANIAN OIL AND GAS. JUST THE PAYMENTS FOR THESE PRODUCTS.
Iran can export oil and gas to China etc but the Chinese and other countries can not send money or any other financial instruments to Iran. In short – the oil/gas flows out but no money flows in. If Iran decides to stop the export of oil to certain countries but not to others like China, then under this sanction regime all countries including China must help the affected country or countries. In short, share the pain of oil shortages. If any country refuses to cooperate then the totality of these sanctions will be imposed immediately on them.
Again, if any country, company, or individual chooses to disobey these sanctions then THE TOTALITY OF THE SANCTIONS IMMEDIATELY APPLIES TO THEM. For example, if China decides to continue trading with Iran then all trade between China and ALL countries, companies, individuals immediately ceases. All Chinese container ships on their way to the US or any other country must be turned back. All international flights in or out of China cease. All Chinese passports to be null and void etc. If any country decides to continue to trade with China then the totality of the sanctions immediately applies to them. And so on.
This sanction regime is absolutely devastating. Having these sanctions apply to any country who decides to ignore them will totally devastate that countries economy. THIS LINKAGE GIVES THESE SANCTIONS TOUGH LOVE FURIOUS TEETH.
By,
Larry Houle
www. irandemocracy.net
E-mail: intermedusa@yahoo.com
Yeah – I was mightily disappointed at the niceness of the Iraqi operation; not a judgement of the American forces, only of their leaders.
I envisioned a strategy whereby the US would take the west part of Iraq and move into Syria, Saddam’s Baathist brother. Then south into Lebanon, with the Israelis moving up north to cut off Hezbollah in a pincer movement. All that would have cleaned up the area (and a good proportion of the insurgents), sent a message to future jihadis… and left Iran to figure out what to do next.
Alas, the US forces were so politically hamstrung and their commanders so derelict of imagination and testosterone, that they ordered their troops to become punching bags for every headcase with a gun who crossed the various porous borders. So instead of a massive cleanup of the area, we have all kinds of jihadi partnerships being formed, and all kinds of arms being sold (?) to America’s visceral enemies (Hamas for one). Our enemies are having a field day… every day.
Fred Leder Ph D comments,
If I were the president I would convene the joint chiefs and ask for a military strategy that changes the focus from Iraq to the entire world. We have no business putting our men and women in the cross-fire of a civil war between the Sunni and the Shia. On the other hand, we have a world wide war on Islamo-fascism which we have every right and obligation to prosecute vigorously.
So I would identify areas of conflict where Al Qaeda or Hezbollah or other proxies for Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia live and train. Then I would devise a strategy for each region. For instance invading Pakistan may not be practical but invading Syria might work fine. In each area there should be either an overt or a covert plan for destruction of any entity which might attack America. Spies and special ops people can go where an army cannot. Here I would make open alliance with the Israelis who know the region far better than the CIA and I would purge the FBI and the CIA of their anti-Semites.
We most likely should withdraw our troops from central Iraq. Maybe they should be stationed in Kurdistan. By the way, I would recognize Kurdish claims in Syria, Turkey and Iran as well as Iraq. We should seriously consider aerial and or ground invasion in Iran and Syria.
The American military is severely depleted in men, materiel and spirit. We need a draft to replace the poor guardsmen who are doing triple tours. We need to ramp up Detroit to replace equipment and invent new vehicles. We need a public relations campaign to sell this to the public and we need most of all to have rules of engagement which protect our troops, not our enemies.
When Americans understand the challenge and unite for the conflict there is no power on earth that can stop this country. In WW II the movie industry spent a lot of time and money “educating” the public. Remember the series called “Why We Fight”? If we have a credible strategy and a decent information campaign we can win this struggle. What we cannot do is more of the same under the leadership of a failed president or those who somehow think he was on the right track.
Fred
BTW, Fred is about to publish a book on energy self-sufficiency for America,