The Daily Biff - The Logic Of Deterrence and Diplomacy

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Thu, 06 Apr 2006

The Logic Of Deterrence and Diplomacy
I got my latest issue of The American Conservative in the mail today and have just finished reading most of the articles contained therein. Fantastic political magazine... I highly recommend a subscription. The cover article, "Iran: The Logic of Deterrence" is a very good read. Here are a couple of good quotes (but please go read the whole thing):

Given the overwhelming U.S. advantage in both nuclear and conventional military capabilities, Iran is not going to risk national suicide by challenging America's security commitments in the region. In this sense, dealing with the Iranian "nuclear threat" is actually one of the easier strategic challenges the United States faces. It is a threat that can be handled by an offshore balancing strategy that relies on missile, air, and naval power well away from the volatile Persian Gulf, thus reducing the American poltico-military footprint in the region. In short, while a nuclear-armed Iran is hardly desirable, neither is it "intolerable," because it could be contained and deterred successfully by the United States.
[...]
although a nuclear-armed Iran is not a pleasant prospect, neither is it an intolerable one. Tehran won't be the first distasteful regime to acquire nuclear weapons. The United States has adjusted to similar situations in the past and can do so this time. Rather than preventive war and regime change, the best policies for the U.S. with respect to Iran are the tried and true ones: containment, deterrence, and diplomatic engagement.

There are realistic and much more reasonable alternatives to pre-emption. Remember this when the War Party begins, in earnest, to trump up the Iranian Bogeyman in the coming months.

:: Posted by rus on Thu, 06 Apr 2006 11:45 pm
:: Filed under /politics/antiwar

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