The Meat of the Matter

Straw Man Diplomacy

Bush is looking at some creative diplomatic measures to coax Iran into complying with our wishes regarding nuclear proliferation. At first glance, this looks like a promising change of face. On second glance, we find out it's simply GWB throwing the European community a bone. Bush's aides state that he's only doing this to prove to the European community that diplomatic incentives will not achieve their goal. This also seems a bit out of character. The man whose will is allegedly forged with iron did not bow to European pressure the last time. Why is he seeking to gain European approval now? This quote says it all: ______________________ "Slowly, reluctantly, begrudgingly the United States is being drawn into a new reality" that to secure European support for sanctions, it must first join Europe in offering further incentives to Iran that might give negotiations a credible chance of success, said Geoffrey Kemp of the Nixon Center. ______________________ Iran's government is not a popular one among indigenous Iranians. This move might be part of an effort to further alienate the stubborn government from its people. They read the news and hear about the incentive that their government is turning down in favor of it's allegedly peaceful nuclear program. They can see the writing on the wall, and the cadence of war that's playing in Bush's head is so loud they can hear it all the way in Tehran. They have an election coming up in June. Believe me, Iranians live in interesting times. To further complicate the situation, Russia and China are both contributors to Iran's nuclear program. Why? I'll give you one guess and it rhymes with "Boil." So for the US to march into Iran as we did in Iraq might be biting off a bit more than we can chew. The situation is not simple. What's going to happen? Will our caped crusader make another brazen show if military might in the Middle East? Or will he play it safe and try merely diplomatic means? Or ... will an uprising among Iranians solve the problem for him? Tune in next week ... same Bat Channel.