General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Will the cranks be ok if we add this Iran deal to "the list"? [View all]Laelth
(32,017 posts)Saudi Arabia and Israel were mad that we backed off on Syria. I think we made the right move on that, and I have said so, even if it meant we ticked off some allies. With the Iran deal, we're ticking off those same allies again. That's the downside of this deal. We should acknowledge the downside and not pretend it doesn't exist.
That said, peace is better than war, and this appears to be a step toward peace, but we must be clear that our ticking off Israel and SA could lead to more conflict. On that, only time will tell.
Iran sells most of its oil to China. Just as the TPP is a move to isolate China, so this peace deal is a move to threaten China's oil supply. It's part of the pivot, and it is belligerent in that sense.
I am still harrowed by this map:
Our plan to isolate and, perhaps, destroy Iran has been in place for a long time, and I am glad we are backing away from said plan, but it does carry some cost that we would be foolish to ignore.
We have done very well in drawing down two wars and avoiding war in Syria. I am quite pleased about our foreign policy in this regard. Credit where it is due, but I will not pretend that this move isn't risky. It's not good to tick off one's allies.
-Laelth