--Accordingly, the key question for the Democrats will be, can they do a better job of forcing Iran to abandon its nuclear program than did George Bush? I believe the answer is yes, if Obama decides that the success of his presidency turns on this question. A determined Obama White House could convince Europe to join in draconian sanctions against Tehran, backed with a credible military option, that could force Iran to back down. --

just a question:

How much money have you got from MOSSAD for this propaganda crap?

All religions attempt to enforce their tennants upon the secular governments. I'm from Utah, I know how religion can infiltrate government. I'm from the U.S. where freedom OF religion, should also mean freedom FROM religion. Once we see ourselves and the tendency to form a Christian Theocracy by the far right, we should be able to see the Islamic Fundamentalist point of view. They are trying to enforce their moral code, just like us. The problem is the major three religions in the middle east, all consider the other religions to be in error. This is the reason you cannot successfully legislate morality, whether you are the Taliban, al Qaida, the Catholic Church, the Christian Right or Mormons. Morality and doctrine are defined differently, by all religions and cultures. That is why we are a 'secular' government, with separation of religion and state. This is why we are pushing for a secular governments in Iraq and Afganistan. This is the reason the Pilgrams left England, to get away from Christian Theocracy, where the King was also the head of the Church.

Only mutual respect can reduce tensions between the Big Three, and that is not possible in a world of retaliation and revenge. That is what brought Bush to Iraq, vengence for Sadaam's attempt to kill Bush Sr, falling for the same motives, that drive middle east violence. Our foreign policy is driven by personal and 'Far Right' world views, which have no place in the modern world of international relations. A clean break would be appreciated by our allies. Diplomatic channels are in place, only the message changes.

Iran's populace is tiring of the heavy handed theocratic government and is ready for a regime change. Recognizing Iran and engaging them in any kind of dialog would be a big lift for the people of Iran. We could increase the smuggling of Western goods and influence into Iran, which the people want. The Islamic government rarely enforces its own laws against selling and owning black market goods. More diplomatic respect will weaken the regime, not strengthen it, as they lose their propaganda war against the West, which is barely keeping them in power. Strong sanctions against 'official' trade, along with opening dialog, and a black market flood of western influence may eventually force a regime change to the middle, where there are moderate politicians ready to work with the west. A direct attack on Iran would only galvanize the Iranian people against the West and Israel. The Iranian people are the key, we can't afford to lose their support, they are the ones who can force a change from the inside. Don't forget, the Iranian people held candle light vigils after 9/11.

"A determined Obama White House could convince Europe to join in draconian sanctions against Tehran, backed with a credible military option, that could force Iran to back down."
---
Nothing new here - more of the same neocon policy. The best way not only to speed Teheran to A-bomb, but also to push world economy into depression. Seems Obama knows better - really the best way for America to CHANGE is to begin TALK with Teheran. More than that - it is much better way to change Iran. Just imagine iranian reactions on Grand Ayatollah speaking with the Great Satan!

Barack will have to get over his tendency to kowtow to the powerful Israeli lobby, AIPAC.

International law does not permit the acquisition of land by war and considers unilateral annexation as inadmissible. Therefore, the League of Nations had no right to seize the Palestinian territories following WW I and to establish the British Mandate of Palestine. The British had no right to in turn give Israel almost half of this land in accordance with the illegal Balfour Declaration of 1917: “His Majesty would view with favor the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine”. Israel had no right to seize all but 22% of the land in the war of 1948 and the remainder in the War of 1967.

Hamas is correct to refuse to recognize the illegitimate “State of Israel”, which is a temporary, imaginary, construct of the West. With the decline of the West…and with Russia, Iran and China now beginning to arm the enemies of Israel…the days of this illegitimate state are growing short. There is no need to haggle over such inconsequential matters as the boundary of Jerusalem, water rights, Palestinian right of return, etc.

Very typical that this jew would be encouraging America to react with aggression toward Iran. They do indeed control the world and get others to fight and die for them by proxy.

The jews weren't successful in forcing Bush to attack Iran in his 2nd term, although they engineererd the invasion of Iraq beautifully, to the tune of thousands of American dead and billions of dollars spent on Israel's war.

Now, let's see them pressure Obama into doing their bidding. McCain is already squarely in jewish pockets.

George Manuelian
Atherton, CA

Mr. Singer would like for us to continue doing Israel's dirty work for them, but it will not happen in an Obama administration.

Obama should: (1) bring home the troops from Iraq in 16 months as promised. (2) He should renege on his plan to increase our presence in Afghanistan and withdraw from there as well. (3) He should lead NATO to stop pressuring Russia in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. (4) He should focus on a settlement in Palestine, telling Israel to pull back immediately to pre-1967 borders or lose US foreign aid. (5) He should stop pressuring Iran to halt their nuclear power development (unless he wants to do the same for the US and Israel). The whole world should be ramping up the switch from fossil fuels to nuclear and other alternative energy sources as fast as possible. (6) He should spend all that saved treasure on balancing the budget and doing some nation building in America; e.g. new power grid infrastructure so we can get all the new wind mills that are now standing idle plugged into the grid.

Singer... before I start, maybe you should keep an eye out for words like "draconian". It doesn't exactly have a good connotation at least in America (I may be missing something abroad). It tends to mean excessive and ancient, something thankfully lost to a less civilized age. So I wouldn't use it to describe something you think is justified.

Anyway, there are a few major problems with your analysis, chief of them being that Iran may very well be enriching uranium for purely civilian uses. They, in fact, may not want nuclear weapons and may be ahead of the curve in providing power for their people. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

If they do want to craft nuclear weapons, I doubt it will shift the argument much. Israel hasn't launched any nukes at Palestine or its neighbors. Why Iran would like to waste money on a weapons program that does nothing but sits in silos is beyond me. America and Russia built thousands of nuclear weapons and only two have ever been used during war. Since then, they've been a money pit and a waste of time. If Iran would like to join the cast of reckless nations aiming a gun at the mother that feeds them, by all means, let them be more like America.

In all seriousness, Iran is a problem because America isn't seen as an advantageous business partner. Politically, being hated doesn't necessarily weaken you. Being seen as a bad partner for business does. Iran is definitely not the loose end Bush claims it is. It is just another nation that sees more claim in opposing America than using the system for its own purposes (such as the Saudis or Musharraf Pakistan). North Korea developed nuclear weapons, and that situation was even diffused. But it wasn't solved by a tough stance and stare of death. It was solved by knowing regional partners and making it particularly disadvantageous to continue the path they were on. It is as simple as that.

And let's face it, Israel doesn't stand much chance of being seriously nuked since the fallout would hit the Palestinians just as hard as the Israelis.

Ye should be A-SCHAMED to proudly call yeselves a "JUDEO-JEW", same goes for them Jodeo-Christ & Judeo-Islamic & Judeo-Hindus & Judeo-Buddhistas et al!

Ps: Ye are the Dumbest People [zero Chosen] on Holy Cosmic NEBUAL-BUiLT Space Ship Earth(s), not TENACH(s), noit Bible(s), nor Quran(s), not Gita(s), not Tripitak(s), Kangyur(s), Scuti's et al!

Good bye All PRE-APOCALYPTiC MEN & WOMAN! Good riddence PELEGian(s)!

HELLO: "JO{KTAN}" EBERU PARTY of AMERiCA 2013+!

Shaul Singer, is an Israeli Alchemist.

This American-Israeli Neocon wants to Synthesize Fire with Water. But is a Synthesis between "W" [for WARS] and Peace possible?

In reality Shaul Singer does not accept CHANGE -- he wants more McSame. But Shaul is not stupid. He knows that the days of a 72-year-old candidate are numbered. That even if lives -- SKY-HAWK is a museum commodity. No "marriage of convenience" with a young basketball player can Change that.

So Master of Spins Shaul Singer prepares a second alternative: he asks Obama to sing "CHANGE", in A Major, as if it were the SONG of McSAME.

If such an Alchemist's miracle can ever be achieved, who will gain from it?

It may prolong the life of Israel, now 60 to, say 72 . . . It may further impoverish America, and enrich EXXON and MARTIN LOCKHEED.

That is why Shaul wants Barack-o-Biden to become Repub-Mocrat -- to save the "Zionist Entity" from the mess which it brought upon itself.

Now: Excuse me if I did not find any Goyim "gentiles" to include in the list of the people who led America to "muddle through Iraq". But they are Shaul's very honorable men: Richard Perle, Norman Podhoretz, Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, Felix Rohatyn. Irving Kristol and William Kristol, Robert Kagan, Elliott Abrams, Did I miss anyone?

Some of those names are also on John McCain's list of advisors. Is that a coincidence? Oh, these prominent neocons, including Robert Kagan... Max Boot... John Bolton... and Randy Scheunemann, are McSame's advisors, reported NYT.
Yes. Junta Master Henry K., the butcher of Chile Democracy, is "pre-Neocon". . .

Strange that Shaul is not aware that the same was tried before. Prof. Carl Schmitt, became the first Nazi "neo-conservative" in 1933, when he entered the Nazi party (NSDAP).

Louisiana Senator Heuy Long, was murdered in 1924, because he wanted CHANGE. Long said: America will become Fascist, but they will call it Democracy.

And on the home front issues the gap is an abyss! -- the divide between those who support re-establishing America as a Welfare State, and those who oppose it, Synthesis is impossible. Prescott Sheldon Bush -- "W"'s grandfather -- aspired to make America Fascist, and to force FDR out, by force if needed. . . To them FDR was a "Communist", and "The American Liberty League" founded by P. S. Bush sought to overthrow the legal government by an illegal Golpe/Putsch. "W" and Shaul Singer want to do McSame by legal means.

What Shaul Singer wants is to increase the Unilateral-Interventionist trend in American Foreign Policy, which -he hopes- will keep Barack Obama busy to the extent that he won't bee able to realize any of his Social Dreams.

"W"'s Wars emptied the Federal Reserve. If Obama accepts Singer's proposals all he will be able to sing will be BLUES.

Reply: The Conflict We Chose: By Mark Weisbrot on 'onfaith' sister blog; "postglobal" today:

Note: It is AMERiCA who is the 'EViL EMPIRE" & not Modern Russia! The Tables hath turned & the 'Hand Writing is on the Wall too, Double Standard ‘s U.S.A & un-Friendlys! And

Mother/Father Russia is thee most genuinely Diverse, interfaithed Nation on Holy Cosmic NEBULA-built Space-Ship Earth(s), aka S.S. GAiA, S.S. GEOiD, S.S. TELLUSng something. Not America. Not Europe.

---To Stupid Jealous Americans: note: RUSSiA is the Smartest & Richest on Earth today!

America Violated the 300 Year Clause of the Americans ALASKA PURCHASE & the Czarist Stipulation (Re Gogless if turned Bolshivik or not] where is sais, [translated fron Cyrillic]

"If at any-time the U.S.A. Violates ANY of the Peacefull terms, that on demand, The RUSSiAN Government will pay 1,000 times the original purchase price........"

Att: Sour America, no more Sweet sweet America, HOUSTON, you have a Problem!

Russia Demands the Alaska that Ye Stole!

PS: G-8, russia does not need! nor does China, nor India {will never fill that 'G' void}, hence ye will be not only alone, but check-mated out of the Bank!

PS: Att: U.S. Federal Reserve of Dec.1914 et seq: RETURN The GOLD BULiON That Ye Americans & Friends hath Stolen from Mother/Father RUSSiA et al!

Hence: Russia wants both "ALASKA" & "GOLD" that Ye Hath Stolen from RUSSiA Major! Not Minor!

---
Ps: Russia, Venezualia, Iran, Cuba , China & India are gonna Gang-up on YE! 3rd World War & not 'Cold War' rhis time around ARMAGEDDON Loving & Provacatives, EVANGELiCALS NATiON U.S.A.! Aka Jealousicals, aka EViLGELiCAL & Catholics Nationals!

iMPORTANT: Caucus type Georgians are worse than Gypsy's! And They hath their own Dialect/Lingo. And RUSSiA, the ones whom EDUCATED, FED , Protected & Clothed foe 50n Years, does not want nor like Goergians! They are Devilish with long-crooked noses & snaky faces. A step away from Low Lifes! They are known as the 'People from ABROAD!"! [REfusniks!]! And Russia is right!

PS: Gerigians should Pay for the 22 Million Russians [not Geaorgians] that their 'Father' STAlIN hath Wrought! If JEW(s) can collect Human Wrong 'REPERATIONS" (via national government Moneys) from Germany because of what Catholic-Hitler did, then Georgians (America can chip-in) must pay Russians for what Catholic Stalin ]Georgians, not germany] did Atrocitly !!! OR

Georgians Government, via Mr. [American Satanic Puppet] Mikheil Saakashvili [aka sak-a-sh-ti] must pay the RUSSiAn FEDERAtION 'Reimbursement' for HEALTH, Education, Protection, Housing etc.. expenses that [Hard Working] RUSSiAn (not Americans] Payed Out!!! SO,

America, If Ye want, Ye surely Will Be Destroyed!

So Please STOP pushing Buttons so to spaketh TRUTH (opposite of MYTH)! An d STOP spreading Rumors of 'Cold War!' Note: Ye wish might come TRUE!

---
WHEREFORE: VOTE, "Gridarian Democracy & Trans{finite} Civilization", Healing of Nations & Global Peace & More Good Tidings.."
---
WOW! The Evilgelical Nationalis are getting Scared! SCHAMe SATANS ADvocates & ye Devish schemes!

VOTE: Deport all imported Religion SYSTEMS, not made in America! Time to remove all SECUALR priviliged (not a right) of "ALL" 'IRS Tax Free Status' to All REliGiON(s) not Prophecied nor Borneth in Sweet Sweet America, Whom the "NiCOLAiTAN”s {Enemys of Apocalyptarian Nationals} tried to Hi-jack [attempted Coup D atat] via PULPiT LEGiSLATiON, not from the Seculars Bench!

WARNiNG World: These Evangelical folks are worse than COMMUNiSTS! Not Secular Russia or China et al!

Paid For BY: The American 'EC{LAT{ARiAN'--NATiONALis' Movement & the 'JO{KTAN}ian' Party 2013+

Hang all Zionists, if you want real peace.
They are the source of trouble, always in a fighting posture and have no idea what peace is all about, even if it fell from the sky on their head.

America is much bigger, more important and relevant and it must look after its own national interests, not to baby sit a petty little, illogical fabricated state called Israel or bend to its criminal whims. Enough already!

hamid:
"I agree with john. If we provide iran with nuclear equipment, we will be able to control it. In fact US must force Iran nuclear program to totally depends on western and not on Russia. End of quote.

The Iranians have to be ones like you or ones you take them for if they ever compromise their sovereignity, pride and their grand history, needless to mention, their unmatched resourses the Persian brains, by giving in and be dependent on anyone let alone US.

You shall find the National Inquirer a more consistent environment with your intellct to challenge and debate the writers and other posters intellectually.

Faramarz Fathi

Iran going nuclear causing rise in oil prices, collapse of Arab- Israeli peace process, triumph totalianirism of new kind, and many other evils? Vow! No justification for these claims is given. And all of this premised on unproven assumption that Iran is seeking nuclear bomb (read NIE report.) Saul is a desperate Israeli who uses fear-mongering as a last resort to drive U.S.A to attack Iran. Isreali's continued colonisation of Palestinian lands through accelerated settlements, its nuclear arms and its expansionism is the existential threat to the countries in the region and thereby peace in the world. It is not a bunch of prejudiced Moslems that say this; when Europeans were asked in a poll couple of years ago as which country is the greatest threat to the peace in the world, majority named Israel!!

As MAX RODENBECK wrote in the NY Times on August 22, 2008:

"Can’t we just admit that American support for Israel is strategically burdensome and is driven by the passion of several domestic constituencies rather than cold cost-benefit geopolitics? Can’t we see that the temptation to intervene in places like the Middle East arises as much because “they” are weak as because “we” are just and noble? No matter what good will America’s “policy community” proclaims toward the Middle East, this mix of blinkered indulgence of Israel and disdain for the rest of the region, as well as a predilection for Wilsonian dreams over achievable goals, suggests we will remain in the wilderness for some time to come."

Source:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/books/review/Rodenbeck-t.html?ex=1377316800&en=1d5d08dd82801c86&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

For a reality check on Iran, see

http://www.bibijon.org/iranimage/

The new U.S. policy should be to nuke the zionist terrorists in occupied Palestine. Then round up the zionists in the USA and hang them for treason.
A full scale global war against the zionist terrorists should follow.
Then peace will reign.

Wars are terrible. Focus on peace

Apparently the western media is not paying any attention to a most recent Israeli Government decision, reported Aug. 29 in a front page Jerusalem Post article, regarding Iran's nuclear progress. The JP report discloses that Israeli government has "reached a STRATEGIC decision not to let Iran go nuclear" regardless of western diplomatic efforts.

The article states, in no uncertain term, that regardless of what the western powers do, Israel will take unilateral action to eliminate all possibility of Iran producing a nuclear weapon. A senior member of the Knesset revealed Israel's intentions.

"Ephraim Sneh a veteran Labor MK who has recently left the party, has reportedly sent a document to both US presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama. The eight-point document states that 'there is no government in Jerusalem that would ever reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran. When it is clear Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons, an Israeli military strike to prevent this will be seriously considered.'"

"The window of opportunity Sneh suggests is a year and a half to two years, until 2010."

Link: http://tinyurl.com/6kqucg

Considering that the US maintains control over Iraqi airspace, any move to relinquish that control to Iraq could, more than likely, hasten Israel's plans. Face it, to suggest Bush didn't have Iran on his mind when he originally made the case to invade Iraq is a bit self-deceiving, I'd say. Iran has been THE rogue element in the Middle East for years and the World's greatest exporter of state-sponsored international terrorism. In my opinion, Iraq and Afghanistan have always been side shows, simple pretexts for establishing beachheads, and precursors to the main event: Iran. That said, unchallenged overflight through US-controlled airspace over Iraq confers great tactical advantage for surprise, whether it's the US or Israel prosecuting an attack. But with the Bush administration winding down and Obama possessing limited ability to engage in rough-and-tumble international security issues, it's hard to see any possibility of the U.S. directly confronting Iran anytime soon.

Israel, however, is in a completely different security situation and possesses a different security calculus. When coupled with the recent Israeli strike rehearsal in the Med and their successful strike on Syria's clandestine nuclear facility, the increased rhetoric becomes all that much more unsettling.

"A determined Obama White House could convince Europe to join in draconian sanctions against Tehran, backed with a credible military option, that could force Iran to back down."

This is utter delusion. Europe (apart from the UK) has no intention of getting firm with anyone, ever. Look at their pathetic and diminishing contributions in Afghanistan.

The author gives no explanation of how or why such a thing might happen. I guess he thinks that Obama is more "determined" than Bush to get sanctions. Or maybe he thinks that Obama message of hope and change will resonate so much with Europeans that they will completely reverse their positions. Utter nonsense.

Iran signed the nuclear non proliferation treaty, the United States also signed. We should actually be helping Iran with their Nuclear Power Program. Our glorious allies like Pakistan and Israel did not sign the NNPT and they actually have nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Even if Iran had a nuclear bomb, they really aren't that stupid to attack the US or Israel. I mean really. regards

well, I am well familiar with this speech, especially the part where the writer invokes ...'for the sake of America the Democratic administration should rise above politics'..etc. Yes, the new administration should act in world affairs on behalf of American interests -first and foremost- and not half blindingly and reactively following an Israel-centric foreign policy, such as Bush's and sure to follow under McCain (same old boys pulling the strings). Thanks for the words of wisdom, Saul.

Isn't this all really about Iran not accepting dollars for oil? Invading Iraq was the worst mistake by a major power since Austria went after the Serbs. Iran will be much, much worse. Grim times ahead......

This article is simply Mental diarrhoea. Void of logic or balance.

Timmy,
You said:” The efforts to monopolize nuclear fuel production started in 1978, when the Nuclear Suppliers Group tried to impose restrictions on the right of developing countries to enrich their own uranium."

You are very right about nuclear fuel. The whole issue is about control of the sources of energy, oil and nuclear fuel. British-American control of the sources of energy, oil, started once the value of oil over coal was demonstrated by German engineers especially for propulsion of ships.

Any nation who would have nuclear reactor but can not control the supplier of nuclear fuel is not an independent nation. The case of Iran and Russia as supplier of the fuel demonstrates my argument.

Iran has argued for an international nuclear fuel consortium to operate her nuclear enrichment.

This is such rubbish from some right wing jew. Iran is not a problem at all for the US. It's Israel's problem. This is what the neocons and their kind do, make Israel's problem America's problem. The correct policy to Iran is to have full diplomatic relations and lift all sanctions. Iran hasn't attacked anyone for centuries unlike Israel that constantly occupies and brutalizes other people and their land.

The answer is simple, either declare the Whole Middle East a Nuclear free zone and have Israel give up it's 200 plus bombs, or allow Iran and others to get their own bombs. Either way they will be forced to negotiate in a more leveled playing field.

There has been a serious attempt by many different groups to ensure the Iran-US relation never be re-established as it will not serve their intentions. The list of these groups can be summarized as follows:

Rich Petro (Sunni) Arab states:
The rich petro Arab states around the Persian Gulf would like to see the Iran-US relationship being broken for the next century if it was fully dependent on their will. From the time of the Shah they have been working day and night to ensure their lobby in the US is successful on isolating Iran in order to weaken the Iranian position in the region. Their envy for the ancient Persia and current Iran is historic and old, as such they have attempted all kinds of tricks to directly or indirectly hurt Iran. During the Shah era they lobbied together with the British to successfully seperate the majority Shia Bahrain from Iran. At the same time they supported the Baathists in Iraq to increase the border tension with Iran, which the Shah did handle smartly without falling into the trap of war. They also supported the Bathists in suppressing the Shias in the south and the Kurds in the northern Iraq in a systematic way (both the Kurds and the Shias were considered as Iranian related elements).But that was not enough and the petro Sheiks finally financed Saddam Hussein to stage a full scale 8 year long war against the Iranian people during the initial chaotic years after the Iranian revolution. This war had a devastating effect on the Iranian economy and it also killed and wounded up to 1 million Iranians. During this time, when both Iran and Iraq were busy fighting each other, these petro states ensured growth of their economies and invested heavily in making themselves the modern hubs of the region. They profited alot from the isolation of Iran as Iran had to use these hubs in order to do trade with the rest of the world. Even today countries like the UAE is lobbying for the isolation of Iran in order to ensure this huge and major nation can only breathe (i.e. making trade) through its channels in ports like Dubai.

Israel:
Israel has long wanted to be the sole US ally in the region in order to get all the military and political support and attention from Washington. Even during the rule of Shah when Iran and Israel did have good relations, the Israelis didn't like the enormous attention Iran got from Washington. They always loved to replace the Shah as the sole "Gendarme" of the region and they succeded to see that happen. The selling of advanced military equipment form the US in the 70's to the Shah, especially the advanced F-14 fighters (operated only by US and Iran), made the Israelis envy the deep relationship between Washington and Iran. They were also to some degree not very happy about the close ties between Iran and Egypt and the duality of support the Shah gave to both Israeilis and the Arabs. One can say the Israelis from 1975-1976 started to think of a post Shah Iran and the Israeili intelligence service which had close ties with the Iranian intelligence service didn't give the Iranians the necessary warnings about a coming revolution despite being well-informed about the Iranian Islamic cells being trained in Southern Lebanon by the Palestinians. Of course the Shah was toppled as the revolution came and Israel got what it wanted, i.e. the status of being the sole ally of the US in the region and got all the military assistance, including the Iranian ordered F-16 fighters (which were yet not delivered to Iran due to the revolution). There is no doubt in the minds of the experts that even today a majority of Israeli political establishment wants the US-Iran relationship being continously broken, which of course is a great misstake.

Euopean Union:
The European Union has continously lobbied for Iranian isolation by the US and at the same time been fully engaged with Iran on all economic levels. As the European companies are selling products worth billions of dollars to Iran, their lobby in the US is ensuring the groups which are supporting the isolation of Iran get all help needed. The EU will also this way ensure it has certain political influence over Iran in order to be considered a major player by the other super powers. The handling of the Iranian nuclear issue is one good such example, where the EU is trying to expose itself as a major moderate diplomatic force and color US as a trigger happy cowboy who doesn't understand the current diplomatic language in the world. EU wants also ensure it has full access to Iranian oil and also natural gas in order to show Russia it is not the sole expoerter of energy to Europe and thereby limit the Russian influence on this matter.

Russia:
The Russians have a great interest in seeing Iran distancing itself from the US. In the new Russian strategic plan Iran plays a major role and therefore it should not have any direct relationship with its rival, the US. Russia has successfully and step by step isolated Iran from the West and unfortunately the US decision makers have not realized it. Russia has deceptively supported the Western proposals of sanctions against Iran in order to increase its own influence over the destiny of Iran. Russia would even welcome a proxy war between Iran and Western entitities in order to fullfill its own strategic objective. There has also been a great debate on whether the elements who staged the occupation of the US embassy in Iran in the early 80's just after the revolution were elements within Soviet circle of influence in the country. Up until today no one can cleary deny this indirect involvement of the pro-Soviet elements. The Russians are also enjoying the export of military and industrial products to Iran where they don't meet any competition from countries like the US.

China:
The Chinese has systematically worked for a distancing and isolation of Iran. They love to be the sole importer of Iranian oil and as their thirst for oil is increasing they want to ensure the Middle East energy resources redirect major parts of their exports towards the Chinese market. The Chinese economic growth is very much dependent on access to energy resources, as such China is competing with the US and Europe regarding the dominance of the energy resources. This is what differs the China-Iran relationship from Russia-Iran relationship (Russia has huge amount of natural resources itself, China lacks it). Although China has relationship with the US and is also exporting huge amount of goods to the US, it supports elements inside Iran who are working for a continous isolation of Iran and supress groups who work for a re-establishment of the relationship with the US. The Chinese influence in Iran is mainly via the IRGC (the revolutionary corps). Of course the Chinese exporters are also enjoying the huge Iranian market.

The British:
The British influence in Iran is historic. The great powers, Russia, Great Britain and France, all were competing to exercise influence over the Iranian (Persian) politics. If you talk to any Iranian you will soon find the level of suspecion they have aginst the "old empire" regarding its conspiracies against the Iranian people.Many Iranians consider the breaking of the ties with the US as the re-entrance point for the British into the Iranian life. If one considers the the British to also include Australia and Canada, one can directly conclude that the British does actually have a high level of interactions with the Iranians at the time when they influence the Americans to distance themselves even more from Iran. The British have even succeded to re-direct the Iranian emigration towards UK, Australia, Canada and other smaller entities like Dubai (a former British colony) from the previous main destination for the rich and well-educated Iranians, namely the US. Hopefully it seems the Amercian State Department has realized what is going on and is changing its marketing towards potential Iranian immigrants.

It is therefore very important that any coming US president is aware of the above intentions of the third parties in this game and focus by all means on the re-establishment of full diplomatic ties with the Iranians in order to circumvent the above middle men as they obviously are not looking for a normalization of the relations between Iran and the US. Everyone who has a slight knowledge of Iran or has visited the country obviously has observed the followings which the US should pay attention to:

1. Iran is a big country in the region
2. Iran is a very influentical country in the entire region. Iran's historic background which dates back to the Persian Empire has provided it flexible and loosely coupled ties to other parts of the region from many different aspects:
A. Religous
Iran is a prodominantly a muslim country and as such it shares a lot with many other muslim countries in the region. Iran had during the Islamic caliphate a major role as the scientific, cutlturan and artistic center. As such many different achievements in the areas mentioned above are actually Iranian ones, although they have been referred to as Islamic in the Western litterature.
Iran has also an very close ties to all the subsets within the Islamic sphere as it is a major Shia country. All the different categoris of Shia, from the Ismailiis to Alawiids to the tweleve Imam variant feel extremely close to the Iranians. This is one of the reasons why the Iranians can project influence in a remote area like Lebanon without any major effort.
Iran is also seen among the muslim population as the first country which has been able to establish a so called Islammic Republic through a major revolution where its feudal western-oriented rulers were defeated. As such Iran is an icon in the eyes of the masses in the region who wish they could do the same thing with their own old-fashioned rulers in order to bring change to their societies as they have given up bringing change by applying a western style of approach, because they see the West is backing up the dictators and not the people.

B. Cultural
There should be no doubt in mind about Iran having been a major empire influenced the entire region. You can see many different countries sharing the same festivities as the Iranians, or hear stories in remote areas of the region based on Persian/Iranian mythology. This cultural span does stretch itself from the pre-Islamic period to the post-islamic and modern Iran. Therefore the cultural span should vastly be regarded as a seperate component and not be purely mixed with the religous one. You can find many Christian Armenians or even Jews sharing a lot with Iranians without having the same religion. Many of the Kurdish populations in non-Iranian territories do have stronger cultural bonds with the Iranians (some of them not even being aware of it) than with the poeple in the countries where they reside (like Turkey).

C. Linguistic
Iran has Persian as its official language which creates direct bonds with Afghanistan but also the remote Tajikistan. Anyone who has looked at a map and seen where Tajikistan is located understands the reach of the Persian language. Persian has many different dialects which are completely based on the Persian language and it also has very close relationship with many of the other languages spoken in the region. Kurdish for example is very much like Persian (one of the reasons the Kurds and Persians get along much better than the Kurds and the Turks). Even some of the languages whith a Turkic structure, like Azerbaijani, has been heavily influenced by the Persian language and share many words in its vocabulary. Persian, being from the Indo-German tree, has without any hesitation played a major role for the advancement of all the languages in that region.

D. Identities
The Iranians have a very strong national identity compared with the others in the regions, due to their long history of "nationhood". Compared to many other countries in the region which have 40-70 years of history as a nation (UAE, Pakistan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan etc.) Iran is very much unique. The Iranian identity can be summarized in the following three components:
1. Pre-islamic. The heart of the Iranian culture has preserved some of its treasures from the pre-islamic era which are highly appreciated by many Iranians. You cannot meet any Iranian (inside or outside the country) without noticing the amount of pride they feel for their ancient culture.
2. Post-islamic. The post-islamic elements are everywhere in the Iranian society. Although it many times might be a contradiction to see these two identities to live side by side, in the day-to-day life it seems the Iranian culture tolerates both of them as it has created a Iranian/Persian version of the islamic elements in order to better align it with the ancient culture.
3. Modern. It is almost amazing to see the level of accpetance of the modern life by individual Iranians in all its dimensions, and this during a time which has been dominated by a government which has done everything to keep modernity away from entering the society. Compared to many other nations which have enjoyed close ties with the West during the last three decades (the period after the Iranian revolution), the Iranians seem to be far ahead! There is of course no easy explanation to this, however I believe the followings might be the root causes:
i) The Pahlavis (the era prior to the 1979 revolution) did a strategic transformation of the Iranian society and enrooted modernity into the Iranian mind which has definitely been surviving their fall.
ii) The current regime being initially fighting any element of modernity, has now finally realized that it has to show certain degree of flexiblity in order to not alineate the population from its revolutionay direction. As such it has started to introduce the concept of "modernity without Westernization" which basically allows people to embrace modern elements of life but not necessarily in a purely Western fashion.

E. Economic
It is true the economic sanctions against Iran has had an impact on its growth, however one should take into consideration that Iran has managed to revive from a very chaotic time direct after the revolution and also a long war against Iraq. So the real economic recovery came after the war and in the early 90's and since then, despite all different sanctions, Iran has managed to grow its economy at an acceptable level (however not at an optimal level). Iran is rich in oil and natural gas (second after Russia) and as such it has a secure income well into the future, an income which will allow it to execute on the planned infrastructure projects and industrial ambitions. Iran has already the largest industrial platform in the region, just check its car industry and you will find out how little the so called experts know about Iran's industrial capabilities.

F. Scientific
Iran is a scientific powerhouse in the region. There is not one single world scientific olympiad in the world where the Iranian youngsters do not have a presence and also land among the top competitors. Iran produces more graduates (especially female ones) than the majority of the nations in the region in total and its young population does continue the good habit of pursuiting further study in other (mainly Western) univeristies as their parents once did (Iran had at its peak 50 000 students in the US during the 70's). The number of Iranian students taking the TOEFL (English language test) should be a good indicator for the decision makers in the US. Besides the strong national scientific environment, the Iranian community living abroad (approximately 4 millions) are amongst the most educated immigrants in the world (if not the most). There is not a single Westen educational or research institute which the Iranians have not entered either as a student or worked for as a professional. The Iranians has a long tradition of respecting knowledge and praising scientists and it seems this tradition is very much alive in the modern Iran.

Any coming US administration should pay close attention to the points mentioned above in order to first understand Iran and then decide on the recommended approach of engaging it. Without first fully understanding the other part, it is almost an impossible task to take the correct action. The US way of dealing with Iran as it deals with some newly created city nations around the Persian Gulf is considered a humiliation by the entire Iranian population (even those who oppose the current regime). To connecting the re-establishment of full diplomatic ties with Iran to the Iranian nuclear issue is yet another attempt by certain groups to hijack the potential US-Iran relationship. By polluting the political minds of the decision makers and also the American people that this relationship is soley dependent on the Iranian nuclear issue (which is fully handed by the IAEA) is deceiving the Americans regarding their long-term strategic goals in this important region.
A re-establishment of the direct ties between the US and Iran will de-escalate the current tension in the region and also strengthen the moderate powers and give them enough momentum to fight extremist pro-war fractions in Washington, TelAviv and Tehran. Obviously the fruits of such a future will benefit the people of the US and Iran but also Israel and Arab nations around the Persian Gulf where the reduction of tension will ensure peace and stability which will implicate economic growth and prosperity.

What a small minded, intellectually bankrupt article.

Even if Iran "surrenders" and as the NIE confirms, it is proven beyond resonable doubt that Iran does not have any nukes, the following problems will continue:

1) The Arab Israeli peace mirage
2) Israel as the biggest bad bet of USA, ever
3) Terrorism of lunatics like bin Laden, the Pakistan mess and the drug traffic from there
4) The Iraq mess
5) The immigration problem
6) The bankruptcy of USA and its massive debt load
7) Ditto for the mortgage mess and shortfall of Medicaid and Medicare
8) New Orleans still needs to be rebuilt
9) How to bring jobs back to USA
10) NATO as a relic of the Cold War

So, the Iran issue is not a top priority, except for schitzoid Israelis.

Get help Saul, and lots of medicine!

It's funny how ( again )the west is hiding the fact that there wasn't any real negotiation with Iran.For six years the west wanted Iran to bend over and accept western control of nuclear program but has never in six years offer thorium in replacement for uranium ( like in India ).They wanted first to push through their rhetoric which can't work if you don't have the right arguments.Israel is in no danger being attacked with missile carrying nuclear warheads because that would means end of Palestine too and conventional confrontation isn't possible.More cooperation with Russia wouldn't hurt anybody,but look it just got worse ( Georgia ).How convenient.Why are Iranians treated as lesser people,why they can't have nuclear program for peaceful use as many other nations,who has the right to decide about this ?? Maybe America has some letter from Almighty in which is stated that this planet should be ruled only by them and Church.Sure they have president who is fanatic but no more than some people in USA and in the Church.And UN is a joke,the 1947 resolution is the proof.

More Israeli rubbish churned out in this article, as if Iran is the only problem America has and Israeli interests are above and beyond America's national interest.

It is time for America to tell Israel to say, hey, you wanted your own country, you got it. Now you are 18 years old and on your own. Alternatively, it is best for Israel disappear on its own, just like USSR, and let the rest of the world live its life in peace.

Hamid states, "If we provide Iran with nuclear equipment, we will be able to control it. In fact US must force Iran nuclear program to totally depends on western and not on Russia."

Why should Iran submit itself to control by the USA? This sort of attitude is a disgrace.

Iran is an independent sovereign state that has the right under international laws and treaties to conduct a fully indigenous nuclear program. No nation has any right to demand control over this.

Hamid, Iran does not need any assistance in its nuclear program. It has constructed its own centrifuges, it has contracted Russia to build nuclear reactors and everything it has done is legal.

It's just too damn bad if the Americans don't like it. There's lots that the Iranians don't like about the Americans, but they are not trying to bully or force the USA to abandon any of its legal rights.

The Americans will just have to go about their business and even better, MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS - and the world will be a better place if they did that.

John Lynn states, "The third alternative is to fully engage Iranians, assisting them with 100% of western technology,and design install nuclear reactors for peaceful purposes with a security guarantee with full diplomatic and trade engagement and that if Iran embarks on a nuc bomb program, everything is off the table and we will have the military option to exercise."

Iran doesn't need to engage the USA - in fact Iran doesn't really want anything to do with the Americans. After all, the Americans, along with the British, deposed a legally elected Iranian president back in 1953 and installed a brutal fascist dictator in the Shah.

The Iranians seem to be quite happy in plodding along, carrying out their own nuclear work quite legally under the NPT and not being beholden or controlled by the USA. And of course the Iranians are quite legally entitled to follow that path withoout any coercion or intimidation by the Americans.

However, the Americans don't like independent nations that don't kiss their butts and Iran has thrown a spanner into their spokes by refusing to sell its oil for dollars, thus breaking the US petrodollar monopoly, which Iraq did and got invaded and occupied by the Americans.

Now Iran is showing the world that it does not have to play the American game and rely on some American controlled nuclear fuel cartel and of course the USA doesn't like that either.

However, what Iran is doing is all perfectly legal, so anything the Americans do to prevent Iran from this activity will be highly illegal. But when did the USA every consider international law and adherence to treaties? In my view, never.

You say, "Accordingly, the key question for the Democrats will be, can they do a better job of forcing Iran to abandon its nuclear program than did George Bush?"

Why the hell should Iran be forced to abandon its nuclear program? It's completely legal and Article IV of the NPT says that Iran has the INALIENABLE RIGHT to enrich uranium. There are no clauses or requirements under this piece of international law that says Iran should be forced in any way to abandon anything to do with its nuclear program.

If the USA thinks it has some right to try and force a sovereign nation to abandon its legal rights to conduct an activity under an international treaty, then it had better produce the piece of law that says so. Until then, the USA, uder any presidency, has no business dictating to any country what it can or cannot do.

This sort of bullying, coercion, threats and blackmail from the USA is why people feel inclined to ram jetliners into American buildings and bomb Americans wherever they can be targeted. I'm not in favour of terrorists, but at least I understand why they are moved to commit their crimes - because the USA commits the same crimes using bombs, sophisticated aircraft and other weaponry, as well as covert action by the CIA and other American agencies to intimidate, then attack nations that are no threat to the Americans.

As much as I abhor the Iranian mullahs and their abject stupidity, I detest this disgusting US foreign policy that many Americans think gives them the right to rampage around the planet, pillaging the resources of other nations, deposing legally elected governments, assassinating and kidnapping people off the streets of other nations and many other crimes.

The Americans think that what they do is legal and justifiable, yet when another nation does the same, it is a crime. For instance, right now, the USA has ADMITTED that it has placed operatives covertly into Iran. This is an act of war under any circumstances and if the Iranians capture those American forces and executes them, the Americans won't have a leg to stand on to demand their release. Under international law, those forces are spies and can be shot out of hand.

The Americans condemn Russia for its action in Ossetia, yet when the Americans bombed Serbia to force the split of the Serbian province of Kosovo, they took no notice of Russian protestations whatsoever. The shoe is on the other foot now, with Russia giving the USA the finger over Ossetia.

Enough is enough. No nation should try to force Iran to abandon its legal rights and that should be the end of it. Any nation that tries to do this should be dragged before the International Court and prosecuted.

do we really need israeli neocons telling us how to manage our affairs? we have had enough of that the past eight years. and the results are obvious. lots of dead. lots of mayhem. and deep in debt.

israel needs to fight its own wars on its own dime.
and work on being a secular democracy.

Israel has existing nuclear weapons pointed at Iran, Israel refuses to declare its own borders, Israel is based on a religious messianic ambition of recreating a mythical "Greater Israel" and Israel kills Palestinians and steald their land.

Israel is NOT the victim, no matter how hard they try to monopolize victim-status.

Saint michael traveler you have no idea what you're talking about.You should read more than just one book. The efforts to monopolize nuclear fuel production started in 1978, when the the Nuclear Suppliers Group tried to impose restrictions on the right of developing countries to enrich their own uranium. This was about the same time that the Shah's regime fell. Since then, the US has led the effort to create a nuclear fuel cartel. I$ suggest you look up "GNEP' which is Bush's policy of denying developing nations their absolute and inalienable SOVEREIGN RIGHT to have nuclear enrichment. That's why they're going after Iran -- pure greed -- and it has nothing to do with "nuclear weapons"

Hassasin quotes an Israeli official thus:
"We must tell them: If you so much as dream of attacking Israel, before you even finish dreaming there won't be an Iran anymore,"
Then Hassasin asks:
“Who are the real aggressors here ?????"

The Eliezer statement quoted above is a response to the Ahmadinjad threat of wiping out Israel. Promising to punish someone who threatens your very existence is not aggression. The aggressor is he who tries to intimidate his neighbors to get his way. Saddam had tried that mode of conduct before and look what it got him

AMH Said,
" The present President of the so-called Islamic republic by openly threatening to "wipe out" Israel is not helping."

Let us address this...
"Wipe Israel off the Map Hoax"

Ahmadinejad's phrase was " بايد از صفحه روزگار محو شود " according to the text published on the President's Office's website.

The translation presented by IRIB has been challenged by Mr. Arash Norouzi, who proposes that the statement "wiped off the map" was never made and that Ahmadinejad did not refer to the nation or land mass of Israel, but to the "regime occupying Jerusalem". He says that the Iranian government News Agency IRIB/IRNA translation is the source of the confusion:

One may wonder: where did this false interpretation originate? Who is responsible for the translation that has sparked such worldwide controversy? The answer is surprising. The inflammatory 'wiped off the map' quote was first disseminated not by Iran's enemies, but by Iran itself. The Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official propaganda arm, used this phrasing in the English version of some of their news releases covering the World Without Zionism conference. International media including the BBC, Al Jazeera, Time magazine and countless others picked up the IRNA quote and made headlines out of it without verifying its accuracy, and rarely referring to the source. Iran's Foreign Minister soon attempted to clarify the statement, but the quote had a life of its own. Though the IRNA wording was inaccurate and misleading, the media assumed it was true, and besides, it made great copy.[11]

According to Juan Cole, a University of Michigan Professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History, Ahmadinejad's statement should be translated as:

The Imam said that this regime occupying Jerusalem (een rezhim-e eshghalgar-e qods) must [vanish from] the page of time (bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad).

Now lets see what Israel says:
Israeli infrastructure minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer has threatened to obliterate Iran if Tehran even dreams of attacking Israel.

"We must tell them: If you so much as dream of attacking Israel, before you even finish dreaming there won't be an Iran anymore," Eliezer told the Israeli public radio on Saturday.

Who are the real aggressors here ????? Even the average politically ignorant American citizen can see who the bullies are in the world?

Hassasin assures us thus: “It is against Islam to build or use nuclear weapons and the Supreme Leader & President have conveyed this time & time again.”

Yeah Right!
It was Saddam’s Muslim neighbors, including Iran, who egged us on to thwart his nuclear ambitions. Now it is the same gang who are openly inciting us to do the same to Iran. The present President of the so-called Islamic republic by openly threatening to "wipe out" Israel is not helping. How could he wipe out a country with known stockpile of A bombs and maybe H bombs, if he is not at least planning to build such weapons?

You should know that our problem with Iran has nothing to do with the infant Iranian Nuclear Fuel Cycle.

“In 1978, Iran had the fourth largest nuclear power program in the world and the largest by far among Third World nations. The Shah’s plan called for the installation of 20 nuclear power reactors by 1995, to provide some 23,000 megawatts of electricity. The Shah saw nuclear electricity as the rational means to diversify Iran’s dependence on petroleum, and as means to counter the enormous pressure from Washington and London to recycle his petrodollars to New York and London banks.”

Shah was supported by USA and provided a great amount of loan to Israel(over $2,000,000,000, plus interest has not yet been paid back to Iranian people).

If you do not know these facts, may be you should read the following book:

"A Century Of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order", by William Engdahl, is a perspective on oil and politics, and how the two have been linked for the past 100 years.

The book is a great primer for anyone interested in preventing wars and understanding the role of men who shaped the last 150 years of our history especially in the Middle East. The book is revelations to the crimes that were committed and were allowed to kill thousands incent people under a bogus banner of rightness and democracy. Please read excerpt of this book in: USA and England: reshaping the Middle Eastern landscape.
http://stmichaeltraveler.wordpress.com/2008/08/17/usa-and-england-reshaping-the-middle-eastern-landscape/

The book is about Hitler, Germany, Israel, Iran, Russia, France, England, and USA.
Saul Singer will be surprised to learn who provided money for Hitler’s ascending to power. It was not Iran.

You should know that our problem with Iran has nothing to do with the infant Iranian Nuclear Fuel Cycle.

“In 1978, Iran had the fourth largest nuclear power program in the world and the largest by far among Third World nations. The Shah’s plan called for the installation of 20 nuclear power reactors by 1995, to provide some 23,000 megawatts of electricity. The Shah saw nuclear electricity as the rational means to diversify Iran’s dependence on petroleum, and as means to counter the enormous pressure from Washington and London to recycle his petrodollars to New York and London banks.”

Shah was supported by USA and provided a great amount of loan to Israel(over $2,000,000,000, plus interest has not yet been paid back to Iranian people).

If you do not these facts, may be you should read the following book:

"A Century Of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order", by William Engdahl, is a perspective on oil and politics, and how the two have been linked for the past 100 years.

The book is a great primer for anyone interested in preventing wars and understanding the role of men who shaped the last 150 years of our history especially in the Middle East. The book is revelations to the crimes that were committed and were allowed to kill thousands incent people under a bogus banner of rightness and democracy. Please read excerpt of this book in: USA and England: reshaping the Middle Eastern landscape.
http://stmichaeltraveler.wordpress.com/2008/08/17/usa-and-england-reshaping-the-middle-eastern-landscape/

The book is about Hitler, Germany, Israel, Iran, Russia, France, England, and USA.
Saul Singer will be surprised to learn who provided money for Hitler’s ascending to power. It was not Iran.

I agree with john. If we provide iran with nuclear equipment, we will be able to control it. In fact US must force Iran nuclear program to totally depends on western and not on Russia.

Funny how these people insist on presenting us with a false dilemma when it comes with dealing with Iran -- according to which our options are limited to sanctions/bombings or else Iran will "go nuclear" (aka get nuclear bombs)

This is blatanly false. The Iranians have made perfectly reasonable compromise offers that would address any REAL concern about "going nuclear" -- such as by opening their nuclear program to multinational participation (an idea endorsed by international experts) -- and yet the Bush administration and Israel have ignored these options and instead demand that Iran simply give up its nuclear rights.

So instead of claiming that we shuold either "defeat" Iran or else Iran will "go nuclear" we should be exercising TRUE diplomacy by considering the Iranian proposals.

I love how these right-wing so-called 'journalists' and pundits phrase their questions & comments?

How can we stop Iran from going nuclear????

THEY ARE NOT GOING FOR BOMBS!!!!

How difficult is that to understand???? It is against Islam to build or use nuclear weapons and the Supreme Leader & President have conveyed this time & time again. No US or international agency has been able to show even a shred of proof that Iran is even hinting at producing weapons. Yet, sanctions continue, harsh rhetoric continues, and guilty until proven innocent mentality continues because it profits those oppressors who are still in power (and will continue to be even when Obama takes office, he is merely an agent of the establishment and anyone who thinks otherwise is naive to true US politics).

How about the real problems that journalists will never ask?? How will Obama sanction Israel for their nuclear arsenal... Or sanction them for their continued settlement construction in the occupied territories.? How will Obama heal the Arab-Israeli conflict without putting Israel on a pedestal and dumping billions of our hard earned dollars into more missles & tanks for the IDF?

Let's focus on real problems instead of made up ones... ok Mr. Saul Singer????

USA 1st (NOT ISRAEL)
THE WORLD 2nd

The third alternative is to fully engage Iranians, assisting them with 100% of western technology,and design install nuclear reactors for peaceful purposes with a security guarantee with full diplomatic and trade engagement and that if Iran embarks on a nuc bomb program, everything is off the table and we will have the military option to exercise.