Iran, Israel and the nuclear diversion

[bemildred]

The two religiously defined nations are using nuclear brinkmanship to distract from other issues.

The Middle East showdown over Iran's apparent effort to obtain nuclear weapons capability is not entirely about nuclear arms, nor even about regional security. The dispute is, at heart, about power, and preserving it. It's about the governments of two religiously defined nations using nuclear brinkmanship to distract from the legitimate grievances and explosive restiveness of their own populations.

In the case of Iran, the most potent threat to the theocracy of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not one that a nuclear weapon could deter, for it lies within Iran. It lies in a young, sophisticated, highly educated, Westward-leaning and frustrated population that is demanding a say in its future and the right to choose its leaders in fair elections.

After the stunning 2011 uprisings across the Arab world, it is easy to forget that Iran's 2009 demonstrations against the rigged election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dwarfed the gatherings at Egypt's Tahrir Square or Bahrain's Pearl Square. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Tehran during the so-called Green Revolution, in corteges often stretching more than a mile. The repression that shattered those remarkable demonstrations, if not as violent as the tactics that Syrian President Bashar Assad has been using, was no less determined.

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There is potential merit in a policy of sanctions aimed at the circumscribed goal of curbing Iran's development of a nuclear weapon — if they can be an alternative to war. But the long-term answer for both Iran and Israel can only be to provide a real voice for their vibrant populations. In other words, they must let democracy flourish, and the United States should do everything it can to encourage that, rather than focusing solely on the nuclear issue.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-chayes-iranian-nukes-are-a-diversion-20120318,0,7800575.story

[Owlet]

1. Yup..exactly so

Good article. Thanks for posting.

[azurnoir]

2. well I guess it could be called an 'improvment' of sorts

better than the alternative and all , however in a way though I feel better about it when there's a lot of noise being made, call it a variant of the 'barking dog(s)' rule

[bemildred]

4. Yah, in this case, I concur.

As with the USA, certain kinds of noise indicate non-action. Unexpected silence means something is up.

And I quite agree that nukes are not the central issue, it's about who gets to feel they are the boss.

[AverageJoe90]

3. This is probably one of the best articles I've read on the subject, without a doubt.

Let the Iranian people eliminate the power of the Islamists on their own.......preferably through peaceful means.

[bemildred]

5. Yes, I thouhgt it was rather good.

Don't agree with everything, but the fundamentals, yes. And right there in my local paper, the MSM.

[shira]

6. Yet more proof (as if we needed more) that most media is incapable of good mideast analysis

1. Not one mention of Iran's very real (not mistranslated) genocidal, eliminationist rhetoric and how that ties in with nuclear weaponry.

2. No mention of Iran already being in a state of war (proxy) against Israel via Hamas and Hezbollah.

3. No agency WRT Palestinian actions. Israel is to blame for no peace or 2 states despite credible offers in both 2000 and 2008. It's as if the Palestinians did not respond to the 2000 Clinton Initiatives with Intifada 2.

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High school students could do a better job analyzing the situation.

Very sad state of affairs these days WRT media and journalism.