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January 31, 2006
We Mustn't "Humiliate" Iran
RDS at The Ten O'Clock Scholar has a comprehensive timeline of the recent escalation of the Iranian nuclear affair. One highlight that jumped out at me was British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's recent comment at the Davos conference:
Straw dismissed [the option of doing nothing] as irresponsible and stressed the diplomatic option, "to secure a bargain which would not involve humiliation of either side."
Emphasis mine. So Mr. Straw is basing British foreign policy, at least in part, on the consideration of Iran's feelings? Isn't one Chamberlain every 100 years enough?
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Comments
Perhaps the better historical referent is the Treaty of Versailles.
At any rate, we don't want to provoke Iran: they may go insane, and we don't want to have to go to war in them if we don't have to.
So, yeah, feelings count.
Posted by: jpe at January 31, 2006 10:28 AM
Magnanimity in victory is supremely admirable--it probably would have been much better for the world had Churchill been PM instead of Lloyd George. But Iran (or more accurately the mullahs) has not been disarmed/defeated yet; magnanimity in the face of a deadly threat might not be wise.
Sanctions are notoriously ineffective--but there's always the chance that the situation might arise where they might work. Iran might be the case. The general population is young and evidently pro-west; sanctions would bite them hard (and us too), but they might be the impetus for an overthrow of the mullahtocracy.
Anygate, welcome back (I figured you'd fallen victim to the dreaded blog burnout). The very sharp pointed stick you wield is always welcome.
Posted by: Jeff at January 31, 2006 11:21 PM
