In a DW interview, former US National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski issues a stark warning about the consequences of an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities and urges Europeans to speak out on the issue.
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#2
I can't tell if Zbig is merely a buffoon or disingeniously evil (I'm leaning toward the latter). His two main points are:
* Sanctions are good - unless they make the target feel they are being forced to choose between strangulation and capitulation. Uhhh... sanctions are supposed to be painful with the choice being exactly that: capitulate or be strangled.
* The United States can prevent war by providing security guarantees. Yes, it could, and this is what got us all through the Cold War. However, no country currently trusts the US to do this. Some, like the Philippines may hope so, but the Japanese don't seem to and the Israelis certainly do not.
Lastly, his snark about how can a country with nukes decide another cannot have them ignores the fact that the Iranians have explicitly declared their intent to destroy Israel once they have nuclear weapons. You can debate whether this is mere Persian bloviation or whether they actually mean it, but the Israelis cannot afford to guess wrong. There is the crux of the problem.
#3
Brzezinski belongs to every SPECTRE-like organization that will have him. Carter foolishly went along with his insanely bad judgment in foreign policy, resulting in the loss of five allies, giving away the Panama canal, trying to convince the Soviet Union to send even more military to Afghanistan, and every other foul up he could have possibly made.
His last big boffo was to convince Carter to make the hasty Iran rescue, followed by total inaction.
It's important to note that by then, many in the US Navy were convinced that Carter was a Jonah, and were frightened when he would come aboard, as disaster would follow.
Tehran: Iran has refused to give Greece a shipment of 500,000 barrels of crude oil in a retaliatory measure against European Union sanctions on the Islamic states lifeblood, oil, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday.
Oil tankers that had come to transfer 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil to a refinery in Greece had to go back empty-handed after Iran refused to give the shipment, Fars reported, without giving a source. Oil Ministry officials were not available to comment.
Perhaps the Greeks should look closer to home. I hear there's a developing oil and NG field just off the coasts of Israel and Cyprus.
Iran stopped selling crude to British and French companies last week after Irans oil minister said on Feb. 4 that the Islamic state would cut its oil exports to some European countries.
The European Commission has said that the bloc would not be short of oil if Iran stopped crude exports, as they have enough in stock to meet their needs for around 120 days.
Fars said the tankers were destined to the Greek refiner Hellenic.
Traders told Reuters on February 24 that Swiss-based Totsa, the trading arm of French oil major Total, and trading house Mercuria were in separate negotiations with Greek refiner Hellenic Petroleum to help it replace Iranian crude. Glencore, a leading Swiss-based commodities trader and one of the few that conducted business with Greece during the debt crisis, may also boost supplies, trading sources have said.
Hellenic would pay back the traders with refined products, which could then be sold in Greece or abroad.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
02/27/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Iran replenishing strategic oil reserves or protecting domestic demand from higher prices? Oh WAIT !
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
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