I was just talking to Lupine about how I like your posts, but I'm gonna make an exception here.
Legolas Send a noteboard - 23/02/2010 09:28:44 PM
Considering the government of Iran has publicly espoused genocide and denied the holocaust, the best that might be said of them ethically is they might truly believe in such stuff. People who, in the name of ruthless pragmatism, are willing to rile people up on genocide are certainly just as likely as true believers to be willing to engage in it, I think not believing in such things and using it as a political tool is probably worse than actually believing it and doing so.
Publicly proclaiming stupid nonsense and knowing it is the speciality of not just the current Iranian regime, but the large majority of the Arab regimes as well, as I'm sure I don't need to tell you. In Iran's case, you might want to consider the defensive (yes, defensive, not offensive) strategic considerations behind those statements - and behind the attempts to gain a nuclear warhead. Iran gains nothing by trying to attack Israel, and loses everything, and they know it very well. But threatening talk, besides keeping certain parts of the population happy, also serves to deter attacks on Iran - deterrence can work both ways. If Iran has a nuke that can hit Tel Aviv, that would be a serious deterrant against any attempt by the US or Israel to employ military means against Iran, for whatever reasons. They lose far more than they gain if they actually *employ* nuclear weapons, but to merely have them would gain them a significant advantage - or, looking at it from their point of view, restore some balance to the situation.
Bombing their installations would do more than delay it for a few years, and obviously a full-blown invasion would too. Making nuclear weapons is tricky, not because people don't know how to make them, the physics behind a nuclear bomb, the theory, is relatively simple and not a secret. Getting weapons grade Uranium or plutonium is not. They could rebuild centrifuges in a few years, they'd have to acquire new uranium, and they would also know that the even the most apparently anti-war POTUS the US is likely to have for some time is willing to bomb them again if they continue, or take more stern measures.
Here I'll just refer you to Jen's reply.
If Israel's large nuclear arsenal has not made Egypt seek its own nukes -- even though that country has fought and lost three wars with Israel -- it is unclear to me why an Iranian bomb would.
Probably because Egypt's leaders don't sit around calling for the obliteration of Israel constantly.
And here you seem to misread Zakaria completely - your comment doesn't actually make any sense in reaction to that sentence, quite aside from whether or not one agrees with you.
Why Iran's dictators can be deterred
23/02/2010 01:31:52 PM
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Not sure he showed us how they can be deterred
23/02/2010 01:56:42 PM
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Er yeah, that's totally the argument I was going for.
23/02/2010 02:06:52 PM
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No Palin was simply cover for the "we just have to accept Iran will get the bomb argument"
23/02/2010 02:26:45 PM
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She wasn't cover for anything, but I like how this argument keeps going that way.
23/02/2010 02:36:47 PM
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As I have noted it isn't conseratives that keep bring her up
23/02/2010 03:26:11 PM
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and I tried to take her out of the argument. But here we are.
23/02/2010 03:39:29 PM
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dealing with the repercussions of attacking another Islamic country may be our best option
23/02/2010 04:25:47 PM
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The world needs to decide how it feels about non-proliferation.
23/02/2010 07:11:51 PM
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yes American used the bomb so now we should let everyone else take a turn *NM*
24/02/2010 06:22:23 AM
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It would certainly demonstrate the folly of that view.
24/02/2010 06:49:56 AM
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well hell then why not just sel them nukes and get it over with
24/02/2010 02:33:00 PM
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I really don't think the folly need be demonstrated more than once.
28/02/2010 02:49:30 AM
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I think this guy lives on the moon
23/02/2010 02:51:20 PM
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I was just talking to Lupine about how I like your posts, but I'm gonna make an exception here.
23/02/2010 09:28:44 PM
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You'll have to link that then, I always like to read things that feed my ego
24/02/2010 12:17:37 AM
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Oh, it was on AIM.
24/02/2010 01:13:07 PM
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Ah well, I'll have to self feed my ego instead, fortunately I'm very good at that
25/02/2010 03:44:43 PM
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Here's an article in response to Zakaria's article
23/02/2010 03:19:41 PM
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I generally don't care for Fareed, but believe he's right this time.
23/02/2010 05:59:00 PM
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Iran is a thorny problem
24/02/2010 05:38:09 AM
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I still don't believe North Korea harmless.
24/02/2010 06:59:15 AM
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I never used the term 'harmless'
24/02/2010 10:01:14 PM
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Fair point, sorry.
25/02/2010 12:45:47 PM
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No worries - I was just making sure you understood my position
25/02/2010 05:19:10 PM
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Re: No worries - I was just making sure you understood my position
28/02/2010 02:30:26 AM
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Re: No worries - I was just making sure you understood my position
01/03/2010 03:53:58 PM
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A carrot without a stick is just a free carrot.
02/03/2010 08:01:23 AM
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They can hit Tokyo
25/02/2010 06:10:44 PM
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So?
25/02/2010 07:01:37 PM
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I think you are grossly overestimating our border security
25/02/2010 08:03:13 PM
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Well, I KNOW you're ignorant about a lot of things and this shows it.
25/02/2010 08:56:45 PM
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Yes you are the Great Cold War Warrior of the chairforce
28/02/2010 06:44:31 PM
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Oh I'm sorry - so you're not so much ignorant as idiot.
01/03/2010 03:48:32 PM
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Israel does not have the military capability to destroy or significantly damage Iran's nuclear sites
24/02/2010 12:33:00 PM
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You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about - and it shows to anyone who does
24/02/2010 10:33:29 PM
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I think this ties in well with this article
25/02/2010 09:56:04 AM
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It's going to happen regardless sooner or later; might as well get out in front and claim leadership
01/03/2010 06:29:57 AM
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