David Warren: Iran

The Ottawa Citizen ^ | July 21, 2004 | David Warren

[quidnunc]

A significant barrier was crossed when President George W. Bush spoke aloud, Monday, about the possibility of an Iranian role in the 9/11 attacks on the United States. By doing so, he was responding — in a language that the ayatollahs would understand — to escalating threats and provocative behaviour from Iran. No matter who is President after November, it appears the U.S. and Iran are now on course for another history-making collision.

The movement of known Afghan-Arab Jihadis through Iranian territory from Afghanistan, both before and after the U.S. invasion, is now so well established in fact that even the CIA has acknowledged it. But as ever, it is nearly impossible for the CIA or any other Western intelligence service — who do not have their own agents in the field, and thus rely entirely on second-hand information — to confirm much beyond that.

I fear Mr. Bush is about to repeat a mistake he made in his approach to war in Iraq. This is to develop a case for war, based on narrow, legalistic arguments. As we discovered before, during, and after the invasion of Iraq, this concedes most of the debate to nitpickers in the media and the political opposition: an especially hard course when we remember that agencies like the CIA have proved entirely incompetent in establishing the facts upon which legalistic arguments can be based.

Iran itself has been doing a better job of establishing a casus belli. With the sort of arrogance made visible even to Canadians in the recent "trial" of suspects in the murder of Zahra Kazemi, the regime's officials from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei down have been making bellicose declarations against America, Israel, and the West generally.

-snip-

[quidnunc]

We are having a huge naval exercise later this summer.

I have heard that this is a prelude to a blockade of Iran, Syria and North korea.

[quidnunc]

FYI

[nuconvert]

"blockade of Iran, Syria and North korea"

Heard the same thing

[ptavares]

So what would have us do hide like cowards an be afraid, this country once had all of its men act like men maybe you should look in the mirror.

[quidnunc]

ptavares wrote: So what would have us do hide like cowards an be afraid, this country once had all of its men act like men maybe you should look in the mirror.

What in the world are you talking about?

[Tolik]

Sharp words from David Warren!

[kabar]

I hope we have a contingency plan in place in the event we are hit again domestically by AQ. Iran and Syria should be at the top of the list in terms of our response.

[Valin]

Canada's own "angry gerbil" response to the insulting handling of the Kazemi trial is, obviously, not going to influence Iranian behaviour.

Maybe another STRONGLY worded note of protest will do it.

[Valin]

Ping

[MEG33]

HUH?

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!