Scotsman: Iran knows it has nothing to fear

[Gloria]

http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=68312006

Let's admit it, Iran has the upper hand
FRASER NELSON

IRAN's leaders may be crazed and dangerous fanatics, but they are not stupid. This is the crucial flaw in Tony Blair's plan to refer the country to the United Nations Security Council: Tehran knows only too well that it has nothing to fear.

The Western world may be suitably impressed to learn that the Prime Minister is pushing for the 35 member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to wash its hands of Iran and pass the problem to the UN's war council.

But as the debacle over Iraq and genocide in Sudan showed us, the UN long ago lost its ability to address such problems. We must now fully expect that, before too long, a regime dedicated to wiping Israel "off the map" will acquire nuclear weapons.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rightly acts like a man who has the upper hand. He is president (thought not ruler) of a theocracy which has the world's second largest supply of gas in the middle of an energy crisis. This is a pretty strong starting point.

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[oblivious]

1. I think that's pretty clear.

The worst sanction idea the UK has come up with so far is maybe exclusion from next summer's World Cup, but Fifa said that couldn't be allowed.

Iran must be really sweating.

[okieinpain]

2. I keep wondering why they say aquire, the guy acts like he's already

got one. hell even saddam didn't talk shit like this guy. this ahmadinejad guy is the real deal, and the world better start getting their heads out of their asses. this guy is not some crazy nut case, he knows what he is doing, and if we had not invaded iraq he probably never would have been elected. thanks bush.

[PsychoDad]

4. Ahmadinejad wouldn't be where he is today...

Without help from the bush administration....

Thanks to bush, and his actions in the ME, it became quite clear to the Iranians that the U.S. was indeed the "great Satan".

All the work of the moderates that wanted normalized relations with the west and a more secularized Iran, shot to hell.

bush is a uniter.

[H2O Man]

5. Very true.

It can be difficult for US citizens to appreciate the damage that this administration has done around the globe. A significant part of that is empowering those who speak the same language of violence as Bush & Cheney.

[fasttense]

3. If we had never invaded Iraq, we might have had the resources

to do something about Iran. But now... not so much.