The Editorial Board of the “Paper Of Record” is super pumped by the Iran deal, and figures that now that it is signed, perhaps we can work with Iran on other issues. They love this deal. Really love it. Because Obama made the surrender, er, the deal, happen. Interestingly, they inadvertently start off with one of the reasons that it is really, really bad
The Morning After the Iran Deal
If the historic nuclear accord with Iran gets through Congress and is not derailed by hard-liners in Iran, then what?
Apart from preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb, the agreement is already altering the region’s political dynamics, creating severe tension between the United States and its allies in the Middle East. And yet it may create space to deal more effectively with broader issues like the wars in Syria and Yemen.
Of course, Obama had already been creating severe tension between the US and our allies, not just in the Middle East, but across the world. The question is, how does Obama deal more effectively with the “broader issues” when he has ducked them time and time again in the Middle East, and ducked them during all the years he has been reaching out to Iran? The editorial rather fails to explain
However, here’s the EB’s real point, coming in paragraph four
In theory, Iran’s decision to submit to strict limits on its nuclear activities provides a chance for cooperation on other issues. By lifting crippling international economic sanctions in return for the nuclear restraints, the deal could strengthen the hand of the moderates in Iran. But if the economic benefits don’t flow quickly enough, hopes for an end to economic hardship could be dashed, discrediting the moderates and boosting the hard-liners.
In other words, they want those sanctions lifted too-sweet, all for these supposed “moderates”, who, let’s face it, do not exist within the Iranian government. Remember, Obama utterly blew off the Iranian “Green Revolution”, which was by these moderates. The hard-liners run the country, and lifting the sanctions will help them. Not any of these fictional moderates in government.
In the negotiations, Mr. Obama was right to keep the focus on restraining the nuclear program. Now that the deal is done, Mr. Obama plans to encourage Iran, which has an abysmal human rights record and is exerting influence through proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and elsewhere, to take a more constructive path, though there are no guarantees that Iran will be less disruptive in the future. On issues of human rights, terrorism and ballistic missiles, sanctions under United States law will remain in place indefinitely to keep pressure on Iran. The administration needs to be vigilant about exercising that leverage.
Any sanctions that are lifted will help Iran, as they will mean a huge influx of cash to the repressive regime in Iran, which will be spent on terrorism, weapons, and spreading their influence throughout the Middle East.
Still, with the breakthrough on the nuclear program, it would be a mistake not to test Tehran’s professed interest in working on other issues. On Friday, Iran announced that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif would soon visit unspecified countries in the Gulf region to pursue a “new opportunity for regional and international cooperation.†Secretary of State John Kerry is in talks with the Russians, Saudis, Iranians and others about a political solution to end the war in Syria.
Iran’s professed interest is in controlling, or at least “sponsoring” (like with Syria) other countries. They want to be The dominant country in the region. And wipe Israel out. Iran’s interests run counter to the interests of the US and our allies. We now have nothing to offer Iran but more concessions. We’ve ceded all power in the region, and would continue to negotiate from a position of weakness.
The editorial goes on to note just how bad our relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other ME nations have become. Unsurprisingly, they have no solutions, just like they offer no solutions for how to deal with Iran, other than removing sanctions really, really fast. Hank puts it nicely in the comments
It didn’t work for Neville Chamberlain so one can predict what will happen next. I hope there is a Winston Churchill in the wings.
What, you mean we can’t have peace in our time?
Meanwhile, Americans are still stuck in jails in Iran, and the current POTUS is apparently doing not a damned thing.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: NY Times: Now That We’ve Surrendered To Iran, Perhaps Other Issues Can Now Be Discussed »
