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Brzezinski Urges Bush to Dissuade Israel from Hostility towards Iran
 | Who? Oh, him. Old codger, just like Carter, just as anti-Semitic, and just as senile. |
TEHRAN (FNA)- Former White House National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski said US President George W. Bush should privately dissuade Israel from carrying out any military strike against Iran in an attempt to cripple its peaceful nuclear program. In an interview on Bloomberg Television's 'Political Capital with Al Hunt,' Brzezinski said an armed conflict between Israel and Iran would widen to include the US as Iran struck back against American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Concerns about the possibility of Israel attacking Iran were raised last week by comments from a senior Israeli official. Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, a contender for prime minister, told the Yediot Ahronot daily that sanctions haven't worked and Israel would have to attack if Iran doesn't abandon the nuclear effort.
Brzezinski said if Israel launches a military strike on Iran, "they (Iranians) will retaliate against us. And then we will be tempted to retaliate against Iran, and we'll be drawn into a very destructive conflict from which we will not extricate ourselves for many years to come."
| Depends on the nature of the retaliation ... |
Brzezinski said the most effective strategy for dealing with Iran's nuclear program would be a combination of economic sanctions and positive incentives to negotiate.
| Sanctions aren't working very well, and Iran has already spurned 'positive incentives' from the EU-3. Brilliant. |
He said threats of military action are "counterproductive" because they unite the Iranian population in opposition to the US.
| Which means the challenge is to de-cap the leadership without hitting the population ... |
Brzezinski said Bush has leverage to discourage an Israeli strike because Israeli warplanes would have to fly through airspace controlled by the US in order to attack Iran, and the US could deny permission to do so. "We have to make a judgment," he said. "Is this in our interest or isn't it? We're going to be blamed for it. If we're going to be blamed for it, then we have to really decide whether we want this to happen."
Posted by: Steve White 2008-06-15 |
