"Foreign Policy" solves the Iranian problem

Foreign Policy magazine has an article entitled "Iran is No Existential Threat." Subtitled "The best way to rescue Obama's failing diplomacy with the Islamic Republic is to stop letting Israel call the shots," the article neatly solves the problem of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons by declaring that it would be no big deal if it happens.

The authors believe that Iran's policy of increasing uranium enrichment is merely a reaction to unfair sanctions by the IAEA and the UN, and if the world would just back down, everything would be great:

These developments again demonstrate the counterproductive futility of enshrining uranium enrichment and sanctions as the keys to resolving the nuclear issue. By prompting Tehran to reduce cooperation with the IAEA, the United States and its European partners have done real damage to the international community's ability to monitor the state of Iran's nuclear program.

Apparently, the authors feel that Iran's insistence on hiding its activities from the IAEA isn't proof that Tehran has anything to hide; it simply is a failure of diplomacy.

We stupid Westerners are forcing Iran to become a rogue state!

The authors go on to say that Iran would be much more cooperative if the UN would lean more on...Israel, of course.

And Israel is just being childish in thinking that Iranian nukes would be a danger:

Even if Iran were to fabricate a nuclear weapon, it is not credible to describe that as an existential threat to Israel -- unless one has such a distorted view of Shiite Islam that one believes the Islamic Republic is so focused on damaging "the Zionist entity" that it is collectively willing to become history's first "suicide nation."

Given that Irans' Supreme Leader and president both fervently believe in a bizarre Shi'ite messianism based around the return of the 12th Imam, it appears foolhardy to assume that they make rational decisions. (I wonder if the authors would be equally sanguine about a US presidential candidate who preaches about the Rapture.)

The authors go on to show that their support of Iran is nothing more than a smokescreen to write an article critical of Israel:

The United States has an abiding commitment to Israel's survival and security. But that commitment should not be confused with maintaining Israel's military hegemony over the region in perpetuity, by continuing to allow U.S. assurances of an Israeli "qualitative edge" for defensive purposes to be twisted into assurances of maximum freedom for Israel to conduct offensive military operations at will against any regional target.

To these analysts, Israeli military operations are arbitrary bullying actions meant to enslave all other people in the region, and Iran is a poor, misunderstood country who is being forced into building nukes by the West listening to their Zionist masters.

If only we let Iran's mullahs "call the shots" for the region instead of Israel, the world will be a more peaceful place.

(h/t Ron)