This should cause a little angst in the Left-o-sphere
Our negotiations with Iran are not off to a good start. After the initial meeting in Geneva on October 1–with Iran on one side and Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the United States on the other–Iranian representatives said they had agreed to send processed uranium to Russia. Then, a day later, one of the Iranian negotiators denied they had agreed to any such thing. Iran, it seems, is in no mood to make genuine concessions. But, then again, why should it be? The sad fact is that Tehran holds most of the negotiating cards right now. (major snip, after long discourse on what is going on)
This brings us to the one policy option that Tehran truly fears–and thus the only one that gives these negotiations any realistic chance of success: a credible threat of military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by the United States, perhaps joined by Britain and France, or Israel. If the Iranian leadership believed that such an attack was a real possibility, it, or some parts of it, might be persuaded to change course.
Unfortunately, they are correct, and this is what we on the Right have been saying all along. It is the threat of force, not necessarily the use of force, that could change the dynamics. It doesn’t mean we would bomb them, and, if people would back the president’s use of force position, something I am 100% sure that 98% of Conservatives would do, Iran would have to really think hard about continuing their nuclear weapons program, particularly if other countries joined in.
And, right on time, those on the left completely fail to understand what Jeffrey Herf was writing about. Ones such as Matty Yglesias
I understand the argument that the United States should give up on diplomacy with Iran and then follow that up with a hysterical overreaction and an unprovoked military assault. I disagree with it, but I understand what it’s proponents are saying. But when I read this kind of thing from Jeffrey Herf in The New Republic, I’m really baffled:
The only problem is, Matty, that is not what Jeffrey was saying. Diplomacy will not end. It will backed up by a credible threat of the big stick if the carrot fails. Do you have another idea, Mat?
