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2005-11-02 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

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Posted by Steve 2005-11-02 09:01|| || Front Page|| [11 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I think Ahmadi Nejad's training as an engineer makes him dislike the kitman/taqiya approach.

This will make things tough on the Islamic apologists in the West but they'll carry on somehow.

Posted by mhw 2005-11-02 09:18|| 2005-11-02 09:18|| Front Page Top

#2 This guy is heading straight toward a fight. He isn't about to show any weakness. He hasn't a clue about real war and he will provoke one very soon. These jerks dream of superiority. They believe their dream. Reality can't surface through the fog of wishful thinking which surrounds them, and he, in particular, will allow no opposing counsel. It's a happy circle jerk on it's way to a trainwreck.
Get the popcorn.

Posted by wxjames 2005-11-02 09:25|| 2005-11-02 09:25|| Front Page Top

#3 how's that stock market doing?

Posted by 2b 2005-11-02 09:28|| 2005-11-02 09:28|| Front Page Top

#4 I read a comment- just the one- that Ahmadinejad was one of the interrogators of the American captives back in Carters day. Is this true?

Posted by Grunter 2005-11-02 10:10|| 2005-11-02 10:10|| Front Page Top

#5 So they say. A career thug.

Posted by wxjames 2005-11-02 10:23|| 2005-11-02 10:23|| Front Page Top

#6 I forsee a short, sharp shock in this mook's future.

Posted by mojo">mojo 2005-11-02 10:26|| 2005-11-02 10:26|| Front Page Top

#7 N.B.: Ambassadors are also recalled prior to launching a war, both because it is far too secret to risk a leak and they want everybody on exactly the same sheet of music, and because diplomats around the world have to work double-time at the outbreak of hostilities.

I suspect that this is not the case right now, however. I think that the fanatic is one of those people who despises the "gray area" that is diplomacy. He sees it as sinfully "lying" and dishonorable. As such, he will probably come out soon with even more bellicose rhetoric, which will alienate more potential allies or neutrals.

He will appoint a bunch of new ambassadors who will not be diplomatic, but who will bluff and bluster and threaten and try to crudely bribe, and with bribes far lower than what they should be.

Not ironically, diplomats have been forced to deal with non-diplomat ambassadors before, and know how to both bitch-slap them and how to punish their home country for its impoliteness. There are thousands of linkages that can be manipulated from afar that can make just about any nation squeal like a pig.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-11-02 10:28|| 2005-11-02 10:28|| Front Page Top

#8 Maybe in a weird and perverted way, Ahmadinejad's bellicose behavior and hardening attitude may do some good in the end. What he is doing is alienating any good will or support he had from other countries, including the EU, and his actions will force the world to deal with the fundamental issues with Iran: namely, export of terrorism and MMs in possession of nukes.

Hey, it's a long shot.

Posted by Alaska Paul">Alaska Paul 2005-11-02 10:39|| 2005-11-02 10:39|| Front Page Top

#9 I am waiting for the blackhats to take a shot at one of our RC-135's or EP-3E's.

Posted by anymouse">anymouse 2005-11-02 10:39|| 2005-11-02 10:39|| Front Page Top

#10 Not ironically, diplomats have been forced to deal with non-diplomat ambassadors before, and know how to both bitch-slap them and how to punish their home country for its impoliteness. There are thousands of linkages that can be manipulated from afar that can make just about any nation squeal like a pig.

Would you be so kind as to expand on that, Anonymoose?

Posted by trailing wife 2005-11-02 12:11|| 2005-11-02 12:11|| Front Page Top

#11 When we nab him like we did Saddahm, lets get some of this stuff :

Tie him up, and, let the surviving members of the 53 give him a basting...

Posted by BigEd 2005-11-02 12:12|| 2005-11-02 12:12|| Front Page Top

#12 I can think of some not recalled...

N KOREA
VENEZUELA
CUBA
ZIM-BOB-ME
SYRIA...

Posted by BigEd 2005-11-02 12:19|| 2005-11-02 12:19|| Front Page Top

#13 trailing wife: the textbook example was when Wm Jennings Bryan was made Sec'y of State. He promptly forbade alcohol to be served at any US-hosted diplomatic function in Washington, DC. Soon, out of the innumerable cocktail parties hosted at embassies in DC, no one attended anything offered by the State Department.

Face-to-face US foreign policy came screeching to a halt.

But there have been lots of embarassing ambassadors who were "neutralized" because of their undiplomatic candor, crudeness, or bad manners. It is one step below being declared personna non grata, deportation effective immediately, but it still means that you are no longer recognized as a diplomat.

When a country, such as Iran, goes on a diplomatic rampage, as I suspect is soon to happen, where they appoint fanatics and brutes to be their ambassadors, everything goes haywire.

Longstanding trade agreements stop working, new deals get derailed or strongly delayed, passport and travel are bollixed, overseas citizens lose the daily services their government provides, even financial dealings get messed up. The overall cost can run to the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars.

It also puts other nations on notice that the issuing country is behaving badly, perhaps even belligerently, and must be treated accordingly.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-11-02 13:07|| 2005-11-02 13:07|| Front Page Top

#14 "Longstanding trade agreements stop working, new deals get derailed or strongly delayed, passport and travel are bollixed, overseas citizens lose the daily services their government provides, even financial dealings get messed up. The overall cost can run to the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars."

Lots of folks here forget about the nitty gritty of diplomacy, and think its all a fancy pants way to avoid needed wars. Good luck correcting them.

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-11-02 15:24|| 2005-11-02 15:24|| Front Page Top

#15 Lots of folks here forget about the nitty gritty of diplomacy, and think its all a fancy pants way to avoid needed wars.

You forgot the part where jobs get created for useless brother-in-law types with "communications" degrees, LH. Other than that, spot on!

Posted by Secret Master 2005-11-02 17:27|| 2005-11-02 17:27|| Front Page Top

#16 Ahmadinejad was in the Revolutionary Guards so he knows war.

The latest free Stratfor, among others, points out that Ahmadinejad and his ilk are likely emboldened by the apparent political weakness of the Bush administration. I think there is a lot to this. He may think he can ratchet up the pressure and get more concessions while we're bogged down in Iraq to the point where the public, at the urging of the Dems and media, has come to view it as a mistake.

In his mind, we did him the favor of eliminating Sammy and are now bleeding in Iraq. Lacking the patience of, China, our other big geopolitical adversary, he's moving quickly to exploit the situation.

I think too quickly. After his outbursts, we should be able to isolate Iran a bit more economically and hurt their already lame economy. Ahmadinejad was elected largely to fix inflation and he's failing. He will become unpopular to the point where the reformers in turn will be emboldened. A key element of our strategy must be that the mid ranking government officials in Iran become scared that we may take action and become more open to a coup or some other means of undermining Ahmadinejad's control over internal security services.

Just my 2 cents.

Posted by JAB 2005-11-02 22:10|| 2005-11-02 22:10|| Front Page Top

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