Article

2005-01-18 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Bush Bad: Blocks Euro Plan to "Woo" Iran Over Nukes

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Posted by Captain America 2005-01-18 9:37:57 PM|| || Front Page|| [9 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Ah, the final chapter in this scripted and staged bit of performance art by the E3: blame America / Bush for their failure.

This all about appearances and image - for internal consumption. Substance plays no part, anymore, in European Foreign Policy. It's just a show for their masses, a continental straw-man performance.

The Europeans dream up endless toothless and pointless exercises, spend months shuttling various bigwigs all over the planet, loudly proclaim success and progress in their pet press, and then fall on their faces at their imagined "finish line" - and blame it on a lack of US cooperation - which they knew they needed and yet failed to secure before Opening Night. "Why?" one might ask - reasonably. They look stupid and absurd to those outside of the influence of their furiously spinning press. Even toss in the US MSM's complicity - and it is still obviously a fool's errand. So why in the world did they proceed with a flop that they knew would be a flop?

The 8 years of Clinton have spoiled Europeans into believing the critics love them. Eight long years of Big Hugs and Big Conferences and Big Shows. Eight years of self-congratulatory success on Broadway, in Piccadilly, Gay Paree, and Berlin.

The run is over, children. The Clinton Bubble has burst, the World has changed, and there's a new Sheriff in DC who won't read the lines you've scripted. Grab the handrail, steady yourselves, get back on your feet, and shake off the dream-state. Stop wasting what few resources you have on asinine performance art. Shitcan the authors of this rehashed hash - it sucked the first time around and it won't make it to syndication. After a year of pleasant indifference followed by three of snickers and muffled laughter, a sane man would expect you'd have figure it out, by now. The next sound you hear will be jeers, muffled no longer.

Since your realpolitik cupboard is bare, why don't you start working with the new team, instead of expecting us to join you on your misty-eyed Magical Mystery Tour? That dog is dead. We'll do it without you if you're not intelligent enough to figure it out and gutsy enough to fire the old cast of losers who have wasted the last 4 years.

Break a leg.

Posted by .com 2005-01-18 7:58:52 AM|| 2005-01-18 7:58:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 American officials dismiss the idea out of hand. One said the European effort was "comical". Another said the Iranians would break out of whatever constraints the Europeans imposed.

It was comical but it's not funny anymore. The mullahs have insisted, again and again, on their right to rip up any agreement they sign and develop nukes. Obviously, they have no desire whatsoever to drop the nuclear drive.

Neither can these kleptocrats, all of whom are millionaires, be bribed. They don't give a flying f*** about their people's economic welfare. Were that true, the mullahs would have diverted less oil money into their pockets and billions more into the development of domestic industries. Iran is not hurting for cash or trade. The obvious reality here is that it's Germany and France that are being bribed here: it's their battered export sectors that are desperate for contracts, not Iran's.

Black is white, night is day. At this point it's more an absurdist drama than a farce.

Posted by lex 2005-01-18 12:20:28 PM|| 2005-01-18 12:20:28 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 IMO it's a mistake to think European leaders are simply naive in (apparently) thinking Iran will honor any agreement it makes.

A full century of experience has conditioned Europeans to believe that they can refuse to take any responsibility for reining in dictators, because if a madman does emerge, the U.S. will spend the blood and treasure to put things right.

So I suspect France and Germany *want* to give Iran time to develop nukes, because that will force the U.S. to act--in which case we become the warmongers, while the Euro's emerge as voices of reason.

--s

Posted by sf 2005-01-18 12:53:35 PM|| [http://sfsays.blogspot.com] 2005-01-18 12:53:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 I'd agree with that. The E3 get to posture endlessly as friends of the muslim world and offload the dirty work to us and the Israelis.

Isn't this more or less a fair summary of French middle east policy for the last thirty years?

Posted by lex 2005-01-18 3:02:55 PM|| 2005-01-18 3:02:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 America has hobbled an effort by Britain and other European countries to persuade Iran to freeze its nuclear programme.

Let me be as brutal and brisque about this as I can be.
1) The mullah are at the final phase of aquiring nukes.
2) They have publicly addmitted that they are enriching Uranium.
3) We all know what weapon grade uranium is good for.
4) The Mullahs have publicly and repeatedly declared that they want to destroy the state of Israel (and maybe they wouldn't mind to do so to a couple of large American cities while they are at it).
6) There is NO WAY, I repeat NO WAY Israel can allow Iranian nukes !

Therefore if the Merkin's wont do it, we will have to do it.

Q.E.D.

P.S. I truely hope there is currently an intense binational effort to avert the nightmare of an Islamic nuclear thugocracy on the loose.

Posted by EoZ 2005-01-18 3:26:59 PM|| 2005-01-18 3:26:59 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Me too.

Re: #3 & #4, France in particular would like to see Israel disappear, I think. And the Euro posturing w/ the muslim world isn't posturing -- they have backed themselves into a bad spot re: energy.

Yes, It's All About the Oil (for Europe, anyway). And not likeing Israel, which is as bad as the US or worse when it comes to having the audacity to defend itself.

Posted by true nuff And 2005-01-18 9:14:02 PM|| 2005-01-18 9:14:02 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Make the French a deal....
If Iran breaks their deal we get a freebee tactical strike on AirBus factories.

Posted by 3dc 2005-01-18 11:46:36 PM|| 2005-01-18 11:46:36 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]

Posted by Slolump Ebbart9448 2005-01-18 1:39:11 AM|| 2005-01-18 1:39:11 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]

Posted by Slolump Ebbart9448 2005-01-18 1:39:11 AM|| 2005-01-18 1:39:11 AM|| Front Page Top

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