In a press conference yesterday, SecDef Leon Panetta gave a clear signal to Iran that they need have no fear of any action from the Obama Administration to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, whatever the new IAEA report says.
Panetta said he agrees with his predecessor Robert Gates that a U.S. attack on Iran would only set Iran’s nuclear program back a few years and would lead to 'unintended consequences':
“You’ve got to be careful of unintended consequences here. And those consequences could involve not only not really deterring Iran from what they want to do, but more importantly, it could have a serious impact in the region and it could have a serious impact on U.S. forces in the region.”
Instead, Panetta focused on applying what he referred to as "the toughest sanctions – economic, diplomatic pressures – on Iran to change their behavior." I suppose no one informed him that the Russians have already pledged that they will block any further sanctions on Iran. China, who needs Iran's oil will probably do the same.
Panetta's caution is not unreasonable, but to make this kind of public statement - which obviously came directly from President Obama - is extraordinary. The Secretary has just announced in no uncertain terms to the mullahs that the United States is not going to do anything to stop Iran from going nuclear besides talk. Instead, he's given them the green light.
Even worse, this craven language comes as a response directly after Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei threatened the West with "a strong slap and an iron fist" if they attempted to strike Iran's nuclear program. The Iranians will see Panetta's response as yet another proof of the weakness of America, and especially of President Obama.
And speaking of 'unintended consequences', there are going to be a number of them as a result of this public announcement by the U.S.
Panetta's press conference also let the Saudis, the Emirates, Kuwait,Bahrain and any friends we might have in Iraq know beyond any doubt that America is not to be depended on as an ally, and that they will either have to start nuclear arms programs of their own or come to terms with the mullahs - either of which could easily result on a nuclear armed Iran's whim in the main 'unintended consequences' the West actually fears from hostilities with Iran, a cutoff of oil from the Persian Gulf, or at the very least a major spike in prices.
And Panetta's statement also sent a message to Israel - that they are on their own. Any action to curtail the genocidal threat from a nuclear Iran is going to have to come from them and them alone. Given that the IAEA report and their own intelligence indicate that Iran will have it's nuclear facilities too dispersed and protected for effective action within the next 12 months, the Israelis no longer have the option of waiting a hostile Obama Administration out.
Given Iran's openly stated intentions, the question Israel faces is a simple one. If you were Israel would you take the risk of at least severely damaging Iran’s nuclear program now to buy time or would you simply sit back and wait until the mullahs had strengthened and dispersed their facilities and perhaps handed off nukes to Syria or Hezbollah?
America faces the same question and President Obama just gave the mullahs their answer. But I doubt the Israelis are going to see it quite that way, especially since they're directly on the firing line. Nor do I think they're going to take orders from the U.S. to simply sit back and watch as the threat grows stronger.
The Obama Administration's statement today may very well have made an Israeli strike on Iran a lot more likely.
The Czech Government, through the wisdom and courage of President Benes, accepted the advice of the French Government and ourselves. It was a hard decision for anyone who loved his country to take, but to accuse us of having by that advice betrayed the Czechoslovakian State is simply preposterous. What we did was to save her from annihilation and give her a chance of new life as a new State, which involves the loss of territory and fortifications, but may perhaps enable her to enjoy in the future and develop a national existence under a neutrality and security comparable to that which we see in Switzerland to-day. Therefore, I think the Government deserve the approval of this House for their conduct of affairs in this recent crisis which has saved Czechoslovakia from destruction and Europe from Armageddon.
-Neville Chamberlain, in Parliament, 1939
No comments:
Post a Comment