Quote:
Originally posted by Tobra
... Personally, I think the Iranians are trying to set themselves up as the defenders of the faith. Maybe then the Arabs will cut the Persians some slack. War is coming, and about the only thing I can say for certain is that it won't start on 4/6/07 unless the Iranians start it.
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Yes, war is coming. It is a certainty at least in the minds of the messianic mullahs. I recommend Michael Oren's book on the 1967 war. Interesting to read how Nasser went through the same sort of triumphalist delusion around the destruction of Israel, the weakness of the West and the spiritual spoils of an epic war. There are differences, of course. Nasser wasn’t a theocrat. But he had the same fixation with leading a new empire in the region. One other difference is that the fundamentalist imperialism of the new Islamics is not confined to a region.
Iran is working out the steps for the annihilation of Israel. This is the dream. And the crux of their gamble on behalf of the dream is this: will the West, in the face of the nuclear horror of a destroyed Israel (broadcast on CNN round the clock), risk millions more dead across a nuclear winterized Middle East, as well as the related consequences to China and Russia, by retaliating? Will they risk triggering a total world crisis? Iran is sussing out the West on these very questions right now. The first 24 hours will be the riskiest for Iran. But once the horrific images take hold over the globe, and the UN and others begin their campaign to stay the US hand, and the democratic politicians begin their own pleadings and warnings, the issue will be moot. The end of Israel, hysterically celebrated in Arab countries, and secretly in many western ones, will be accepted. The energy of "retaliation" will redirected into condemnations, sanctions and the relief and salvation of what's left of the Jews.
It's a gamble -- but Iran is working toward the throw of the dice.