A man holds up a sign as he and several thousand other protesters demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square, July 22, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar
President Barack Obama has in good faith negotiated an agreement with Iran that would end a broad range of economic sanctions on Iran, in return for Iran’s promise to scale back its efforts to build a nuclear bomb. I believe that Congress’s support of the agreement would be a very serious mistake.
I find persuasive the arguments of many analysts that the proposal fails because it lifts sanctions before Iran has over time proven that it is committed to abandoning its nuclear weapons program.
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 3, 2015
Syrian war: As neighbors seek border enclaves, a de facto partition? -- Nicholas Blanford, CSM
The Company Getting Rich Off the ISIS War -- Kate Brannen, Daily Beast
This map shows the simple 20 million state solution in Yemen we’ve been missing all along -- Al Bawaba
Asia’s New Geopolitics Takes Shape Around India, Japan, and Australia -- Harsh V. Pant, The Diplomat
China's military wants more teeth to counter India, US, Japan -- Economic Times
At long last, the U.S. understands Vietnam -- Gregory Clark, Japan Times
Why human rights abuses may not top the secretary of state’s agenda in Egypt -- Carol Morello, Washington Post
The big Polish-German chill -- Michal Szuldrzynski, Politico
Greece Is Still Doomed Without Debt Relief -- Bloomberg editorial
IMF Gets Smart About Greece -- Mohamed A. El-Erian, Bloomberg
The Eurozone's Death by a Thousand Bailouts -- Adam Lebor, Newsweek
As Talks Progress, Optimism Grows for Elusive Cyprus Peace -- Maria Save, WPR
Is Europe losing Ukraine? -- Gustav Gressel, European Council on Foreign Relations
What's at stake in Venezuela's legislative elections? -- Daniel Zovatto, Brookings
How Cecil the Lion Is Making Airlines Change Their Ways -- Krishnadev Calamur, The Atlantic
The U.S. intelligence community thinks Iran has no nuclear weapons program, and didn't have one in ages. There's no contradictory evidence whatsoever - everything points at them having wanted and achieved near-nuke status only. In fact, nuke are by fatwa ruled out as immoral in Iran and a theocracy/republic mix like Iran cannot change such a high rank fatwa as easily as the U.S. can amend its constitution.
ReplyDeleteIran's nuclear economy is legal under the NNPT and legitimate, unlike the size of the U.S. nuclear arms arsenal.
Your requirement ("before Iran has over time proven that it is committed to abandoning its nuclear weapons program.") makes no sense and depend either on ignorance or sheer rejection of reality in favour of warmonger impulses.
The sanctions were imposed to get Iran to accept a deal, and Iran has no motivation to give up this one bargaining chip before such a negotiation.
The warmongers in the U.S. want war with Iran just because, and this is the only reason why anyone would reject the deal. Keep in mind the sanctions can be imposed immediately once the inspections (no CIA inspectors this time) reveal Iranian non-compliance with agreement terms.