As the leadership in Iran continues to thumb their collective noses at the world community and the United States in particular, the Obama Administration (led by Secretary of State John Kerry) seem clueless on how to respond. The Obama Administration can't seem to develop a cogent and rational policy in dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions. While the U.S. Administration flails about aimlessly trying to coax, cajole, and beg Iran to negotiate in good faith, the Islamic Republic of Iran just smiles and continues to develop a nuclear weapon capability.
The Obama Administration needs to understand they are dealing with so-called Iranian 'Twelve-ers'. They believe that the twelfth Imam and the Mahdi, the ultimate savior of mankind and the redeemer of Islam from prophecy, will emerge from hiding and spread Islam around the planet. Thus transforming the entire world into a perfect Islamic society. (Barack Obama has some understanding of what a ‘fundamental transformation’ is all about.) Some Shia believe, including those in power in Iran, that something akin to a cataclysmic event will hasten this return.
Can you really negotiate with someone who is willing to accept their own martyrdom as the very means necessary to bring about the return of their revered religious leader ? Would any agreement or treaty be worth anything more than the paper it’s written on ? Could Iranians, who have among their ultimate goals the destruction of Israel and the United States, be trusted to abide by any agreement ? Any agreement is a bad agreement if it isn’t administered under our terms.
When I hear any American administration discussing what “negotiating tactic” to use against Iran I shake my head in wonderment. How can all those smart people in Washington, D.C. believe that ANY negotiations will bear fruit ?
While not all Muslims, or even all Shia, share this extreme theology, those currently controlling Iran certainly do. The ruling clerics in Iran are fanatically committed towards a course they fully believe will result in achieving their goal of a world ruled by Islam. The United States and Israel stand in the way of Iran achieving Islamic world supremacy.
Until the September 11th attacks, Iran had been responsible for the deaths of more Americans than any other terrorist organization in history. And yes, Iran's government is a terrorist organization. Iran has been waging a war against the United States for over thirty years. They are a committed enemy, certain of their final victory against the “Great Satan”.
The only thing that will stop Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons is to shut down and shutter their weapons labs and research facilities. We tell them what they’re ‘going to do’, and then back it up. Maybe not the diplomatic thing to do, but we’re not dealing with people who care about diplomacy. They proved that back in 1979.
We must send a clear message to the Iranian leadership that we will stop their ambitions, including using military force to do it, if we discover evidence that Iran is near to developing a nuclear weapon. While it certainly might serve as the "cataclysmic event" the ruling clerics in Iran have sought, unfortunately for them it won't include the destruction of the United States and Israel.
But it appears that the Obama Administration will continue to flail around aimlessly while Iran builds missiles and bombs. The ‘smartest woman in the world’ Hillary Clinton was unable to put together a strategy for dealing with Iran when she was secretary of state, and her successor John Kerry has achieved little as well. Negotiating from weakness never works. And the Iranians view us as a weak and corrupt society, led by a weak and corrupt administration. They are confident they will succeed, and they are patient.
Unfortunately this administration reluctantly will continue to fight a war against terrorism using drones and pin-pricks, while saddling our troops with rules of engagement written by the ACLU. And Americans will ultimately suffer because of the weakness of our leaders who try to negotiate with, instead of defeat our enemies.