Monday, October 13, 2008
Knowing that a Security Council resolution against Iran would never get past Russia and China, the US and the EU are discussing putting together a new coalition of the willing: US and EU plan Iran sanctions
The US and its allies are discussing a "coalition of the willing" that would impose sanctions on Iran's energy and financial sectors without United Nations backing as concerns increase about Tehran's accelerating nuclear programme and a possible Israeli military response.
A foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, recently helped to write a re-port that warned: "The Europeans make war more likely if they do not strengthen sanctions against Iran."
The September report was produced by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington-based think-tank, with the co-operation of Dennis Ross, perhaps Mr Obama's most influential adviser on the Middle East. While backing an intensive diplomatic effort, it calls for immediate military steps to deal with Iran, such as "pre-positioning additional US and allied forces, deploying additional aircraft carrier battle groups and minesweepers [and] emplacing other war mat-eriel in the [Gulf] region"...
Oh, so an Obama adviser "get's it" on Iran? So Obama must be OK then...not. If it were true that Obama was OK on the issue of Iran, then his rhetoric would be more realistic on the matter of diplomacy with enemies and the utility of the UN. He's not, and he hasn't been. His entire rhetorical approach has been to disparage the people who do "get it," and his leadership does nothing more than undermine decent policies. Dennis Ross, to the extent he represents such policies has tied himself to a candidate that undermines him and pulls the political rug out from under him. Eventually he'd be impotent and on the outs.
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Dennis has a habit of talking sense in the name of people who have none.