Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Locals Say: Obama Is Naive About Iran
It’s hard, sometimes, to sort out what’s fair and what’s partisan. Some things, it pains me to say, are true even if Barack Obama says they’re true.
Some things aren’t.
He’s wrong — dangerously so — about Iran, though to be honest, the fog of partisanship often obscures this because most of us think he’s wrong — dangerously so — about everything.
(Which he sort of is…)
So why not look abroad, to some of Iran’s neighbors, for some guidance? After all, they’re in the line of fire, as it were. From Abu Dhabi’s The National:
The failure of the US to understand Iran’s power structure could harm global security, and Tehran’s meddling in the Middle East is not likely to end soon, a report published by an Abu Dhabi think tank suggests.
The report, released by Trends Research and Advisory, says the US is unable or unwilling to look at Iranian religious leaders’ control over their population as part of its foreign policy agenda.
This has hampered its ability to “assess long-term drivers of events, and to think and act strategically”, says the paper, which was co-written by US defence department official Lincoln Bloomfield and published on Monday.
“Officials are so overwhelmed with tactical concerns that it is very difficult for empowered officials to see the big picture and act with a shared strategic outlook,” it says.
It criticises the US for dismissing Iran’s illegal and oppressive actions, and says that since the 1979 revolution, the US has continued to believe Tehran would reform, despite its foundation in religious politics and its violence at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, this from the Free Beacon:
Iran on Tuesday threatened to restart its contested nuclear program in violation of last summer’s international agreement if the United States and other countries fail to move forward with a massive sanctions relief program aimed at bolstering the Iranian economy, according to comments by a top Iranian leader.
Published in Foreign PolicyDr Theodore Karasik, senior adviser to Gulf State Analytics in Dubai, said that understanding Washington’s mindset and preparing for the next administration was critical for the UAE.
“The UAE sees Iran’s perfidious behaviour and seeks more US resolve to reject Tehran’s push into the Middle East’s core,” Dr Karasik said. “But we will have to wait until November for even a partial answer to future US policy towards Iran and the impact on the UAE.”
Which leaves us in the same quandary that has perplexed Ricochet for the past year. In this reality, who is the better choice? Hillary or Donald?
How many of us will be staring at the touch-screen contemplating that decision…?
Keith, I think that it’s a question of which of the candidates is less bad. Unfortunately, “better” is not an option this November.
Agreed. 325 million people and these are the choices?
I saw a very, very brief clip of the President saying the world was overreacting to Brexit somewhere yesterday or today. Just briefly, I thought he’d gotten this right for once — until I saw the rest of the quote.
And then there’s Trump condemning the president for clumsy meddling in British affairs — which was a well-deserved criticism and effective, if only he hadn’t done it while in Scotland trying to harness British affairs for his own purposes.
It seems to me that it’s impossible to know whether Obama (a) is wrong about Iran, (b) accepts Iranian dominance over the Middle East, (c) believes that any American interference in the region is unacceptable regardless of what happens there, or (d) all of the above.
I vote for (d).
Believing any American interference is unacceptable naturally inclines him to accept Iranian dominance over the Middle East, which is the only other way to keep the region stabilized without American involvement or people like Saddam Hussein. The only way to believe this, accept it, welcome it, and not be a complete monster is to simply be wrong about Iran.
I’m pretty sure that will be me, although I’ve had a glimmer of idea of what could tip the balance. If HRC chooses E. Warren as her running mate, I’m going to have to think long and hard about voting for Trump. Those two lovelies would send the smugness/earnestness meter into the red zone.
Obama is not an overt Muslim. He is, however, an overt Muslim-sympathizer. He is dangerous for the United States.
But there is change afoot in Iran. Over half the population is under 35 and those young’ins are tired of isolation and radical ideology. But the regime is terrible and this deal was awful. We should have supported the people during the Green Revolution.
And just my two cents, but I wouldn’t trust a Sunni majority country like the UAE to give an unbiased opinion of a Shia majority country. Not saying they’re wrong, just not necessarily dispassionate. The Middle East is an intriguing, complicated, sad mess.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/irans-legions-of-weary-young-people-push-against-the-old-ways-1436323115
I don’t think he’s “wrong” about Iran at all. He just has different goals from Mr. Long and most of the rest of us.
Given that, he’s dead right about Iran.
What does he believe about Iran?
What does he say that is naive?
It is incomprehensible to me how any Ricochetter could have to think for more than a millisecond about this. Clinton is an anti-American criminal, the most corrupt politician in memory, who always always puts her profit above the good of the country, whose election will guarantee a Dem sweep, who will pack the courts and agencies with Marxists and other progressive tools of Satan.
I mean really, Keith, how can this be hard?
You overlooked the truth.
(e), he is overtly on Iran’s side in this.
Perhaps because Trump is unfit for the office in every way? You may think his “known unknowns” are a better bet than HRC’s well-known predilections, but it is still a hard choice for many of us.