OT, I don't think the sanctions are working "all of the sudden", I think the effects are cumlative over time. With markets for their oil limited the buyers(Chinese) know they can get better deals. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324069104578527803679519748.html
Obama is not going to remove any sanctions before any agreement. Simple as that. And the agreement isn't simply inspection and monitoring. That's not going to cut it here. No one from EU is going to follow a US military lead against Iran especially after Iraq and under the current economic conditions. They all are going to look for as many excuses as possible to NOT follow. When diplomacy has been tried and failed and the Iranian insists on continuing and advancing their Nuclear wants, than there is a much better chance EU would participate. Otherwise, forget it. It will only be the US and Israel. The Iranian may never be friend with us but that doesn't exclude diplomacy. You think the former USSR was friend with us when the nuclear deal happen? You continue sanctions (and your other means to slow down their capacity), never give up on it, strengthen it as you can, all the while, you look for opportunity to end this in a peaceful manner through diplomacy. To rule out diplomacy based on assumptions that you aren't willing to at least entertain if they are true, is too narrow a focus and can get you isolated and boxed into a corner with no other option than to strike, missing out a potential opportunity, however slim, to end this peacefully.
I'm pretty sure we said in 1975 that the Vietnamese would never be friends with us and the two countries get along pretty well now. You give it 25 years with Iran and it's going to be a whole new ballgame.
Your observations are not without merit. However, Iranians, like all Semitic peoples, do not negotiate without staring into credible, certain negative consequences as opposed to credible, certain incentives. Also, when we do make an agreement, Israel has to willingly sign off on it if we hope to achieve success. Obama IMO is incapable of accomplishing my first or third observations. He is so weak-kneed that he will only grant concessions without anything concrete in return, i.e., impartial observers who have the clout to make Iran dismantle nuclear weapons building blocks. I believe you are wrong about the EU. Currently they run because they know that, if they do show support, Obama will desert the trenches at the first sign of trouble. If they believed in unwavering U.S. leadership, they would back us because it furthers their own interests (such as not being in range of Iranian nuclear weapons). I agree with your assessment that nothing can be accomplished without negotiations. However, my fear is not in starting negotiations but in the caliber of negotiators, from Obama down, that we will pit against the Iranians negotiators. Perhaps Obama could sub out our negotiating team for an Israeli one -- Semite against Semite.
For some reason I have this gut feeling that the population of Iran and the government of Iran do not share similar ideologies. Of course I base this entirely on my experience with Iranian immigrants who are the most secular people I know who originated from a Muslim region.
Unfortunately, only the government ... whether that government be Iranian, American or whatever ... matters. Regardless of what the people want, government leaders make the decisions and that's that. In this country our only consolation is that every two to four years we have an opportunity to change the leadership. Countries like Iran can only change the government if they overthrow the mullahs / despots who control them.
Unfortunately, Netanyahu is correct. We would get a doable deal if Obama turned over our negotiating position to Netanyahu, but, of course, our national pride (and laws) would never allow that.
It's clear Netanyahu wouldn't even consider diplomacy given his history. As mentioned before, it takes the right leaders and the right circumstances for diplomacy to work. Netanyahu isn't that kind of leader. Not a knock on him, it's just how he see the world. As long as he doesn't actively block diplomacy (and while his word is against it, he's indicating at least he's not), it's fine and probably healthy.
There will be no lasting agreement without Israel's active participation. If Obama cuts a deal with which Israel can't abide, Netanyahu will act to preserve his nation. Personally, I can't blame him for that. Iran knows that Obama is spineless, but they know Netanyahu will use both fists.
Iranian cyber warfare commander shot dead in suspected assassination The head of Iran’s cyber warfare programme has been shot dead, triggering further accusations that outside powers are carrying out targeted assassinations of key figures in the country’s security apparatus. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...der-shot-dead-in-suspected-assassination.html
Somewhat disagree. While Iranians do have Indo-European roots, they share those roots to an equal or lesser degree to Semitic groups that include Arabians, Jews, Assyrians, etc.
You can belive what your writing bumbling foreign policy where has that happen just because he doesn't want War first is that what you mean please clairfy.
