Petraeus works to halt foreign fighters.

blackadder said
Why do we bother?

Let's just give up now since the $15-20 trillion we've spent since 1950
leaves us completely and hopelessy vulnerable to a backward nation with a fraction of wealth, no navy, air force etc.

I hear there's a sale on prayer rugs at Target.

The Iranians aren't crazy either. The Persians are quite shrewd.

I've yet to see them acting in a context where they are not being threatened with war or "regime change" so its hard to guage what an Iran that felt itself secure rather than under seige would look like. You completely discount that where we are now is a result of obverthowing Iran's government and imposing 25 years of brutal repression on them.

How about we take that into account and try to move past it?

Anyway, it's been hundreds of years since the Persians attacked anybody, which, all else being equal, suggests a more realistic state of affairs.

I'd rather not have to rely on MAD with anybody, which is why regional de-nuclearization and a regional approach including ALL countries is the only thing that has a chance of working.

Otherwise the Iranians will continue to do what they think they need to do to guarantee their security. And as they do so, we and the Israleis will promote those actions as proof of malicious intent and advocate pre-emptive war.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/menwfz/index.html

It's a tried and true formula. It worked great for the Israelis vis-a-vis the Arabs so why not do it again?

Adder, you're missing the point completely.

Don't you understand that Iran is part of the "Axis of Evil?" Iranians, like most Muslims, are inherently evil? It's in their genes. The "liberales" are trying to convince us that the Iranians are not pre-disposed to want to attack us. They are wrong. Their storming our embassy and taking hostages had nothing to do with our support of the iron-fisted Shah regime. The foisting of Israel into the Arab holy land? A convenient excuse for terrorism!!
Supporting the insurgency? How dare they send weapons and troops into Iraq in order to help expel an invading force! That's OUR turf!!

If you had any sense you would know that there is absolutely NOTHING to gain by dealing diplomatically with Ahmadinnywhatever. It would be a sign of America's weakness. Some say it would be a sign of strength, by showing that we are able to maintain the moral and political high road. HAH!!
//sarcasm off//

Seriously, though Adder, the toughest thing seems to be getting conservatives to look objectively at these situations. It's like we should just ignore the HUGE part that the U.S., Britain, and Israel have played in worsening, and sometimes creating, the conditions that help foment terrorism and aggression. Unless of course you believe that Arabs are just genetically defective and born with a desire to kill. Or that Islam is by definition a call to destroy the rest of the world. I'm not naive enough to think that diplomacy without military force will solve the problems, or that the Iranian government is a bunch of peace-loving persaycats, but it seems that we are SO willing to see the world in oversimplified terms of GOOD GUYS (us) vs. BAD GUYS (muslims.)

Someone asking me why I "hate America" in 5,4,3,2........