“I don’t know the answer to that”, the Secretary of State tells The Atlantic today. We debated and learned.
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There are plenty of things to dislike about the Iran nuclear deal: the short time-frame of its restrictions, uncertainty over the effectiveness of inspections, the unexpected linkage to lifting the embargo on conventional weapons and the fact that the Iranians have been caught cheating so many times in the past.
“Bottom line: Iran possessing a nuclear weapon would be a game-changing event that cannot and will not be allowed”, the senator wrote.
It’s an ugly habit.
The Obama administration has offered regional powers enhanced security cooperation as it seeks to assuage anxieties in the wake of the deal, which Israel and some of its neighbors see as enhancing Iran’s influence and mischief making in the Middle East.
Apple had no comment when asked about potential plans for Iran. Not only that, but Senate Republicans made it clear in a letter written directly to the Iranians that there would be no deal without their approval, and that this would not come easily. The ideologies of both the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran’s mullahs would lead to most unsafe and regressive fate of both Sunni and Shiite Muslims around the world, as well as Americans at home – and these are the Muslims most loved by the current American administration. If the deal doesn’t fly past Congress, as Kerry said last week, Israel will be to blame.
In a conference call with Ohio reporters, Portman, R-Ohio, said he was briefed Wednesday by Wendy Sherman, undersecretary of state for political affairs and the chief U.S. negotiator on the deal; U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who played a key role in the negotiations, and members from the intelligence agencies.
Kerry also rejected the idea that Iranian leaders are actively seeking the destruction of the Jewish state, a popular belief among many Israelis.
Goldberg: Wipe it off the map. And by “us“, I mean me and John Kerry.
Iran, Kerry pointed out, “didn’t make the bomb when they had enough material for 10 to 12″.
“I think it’s been set up from the get-go as part of the Iran deal”. Sanctions were hurting Iran, but not stopping its nuclear progress.
Kerry keeps taking the perceived point of view of the enemy. Taboos are effective psychological mechanisms for deterring all sorts of human behaviors, and they worked well in keeping poison gas from being used in World War II.
Nukes could never stop smaller wars and proxy conflicts – and look increasingly impotent against modern non-state threats such as jihadist groups or cyber-attacks – but “they are still a necessary tool”, said Mark Fitzpatrick, a nuclear security expert at the London-based worldwide Institute for Strategic Studies. It can create havoc on the northern border and attempt to murder a bunch of Israelis.
Many countries have nuclear programmes, and at least eight possess nuclear weapons.
And no one argues that the Iranians are idiots who lack the capacity for strategic thinking. Would Israel be similarly antagonistic towards the Jordanians becoming a threshold nuclear state, or the Danes or the Bolivians-or even Saudi Arabia? Zarif won’t even admit that Iran was responsible for the Karine A. Kerry is tragically dismissive of this fear. The problem isn’t talking. Among them are whether we have placed our trust in the Kingdom of Saud deservingly, or whether they flout our ideals and flaunt their injustices while soaking in our money and laughing at the irony.
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Then again, according to John Kerry, we’re not really stopping anything, since Iran is probably just another peaceful nation.
