10 Reasons Why Sanctions on Iran Won't Work

SIPA via Newscom

Team Ahmadinejad may walk out of Thursday's diplomatic showdown in Geneva with a slap on the wrist, but Tehran will almost certainly keep the upper hand. A few important reminders for Obama and Co. on the impotent politics of ganging up on a nuclear rebel right now.

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Comments

[Hugh]

Loved the Brer Rabbit, briar patch analogy, use it my self on occasion. Interesting how many life lessons illuminated in Uncle Remus.

[stuart abrams]

I always thought that diplomacy had two tools: sticks and carrots. Why is the only discussion about what kind of sticks we can use? We either use military sticks (bombs) or financial sticks (sanctions). Why not try some carrots? Figure out what Iran wants. It seems to me the answer is pretty obvious: security and status. The big powers jointly (let's get India in on the show and dispense with some of the Eurotrash) ought to be able to provide that. Just typical US/Western hubris - our belief that we can use military or financial muscle to force everybody to do exactly what we want. I would hope for something better than that from Obama. I know, I know - the Iranians are crazy and all they want is the destruction of Israel and the coming of the millenium, and only another Neville Chamberlain would try to deal with them (cue the Munich footage - I've seen this movie already).

[ConspiracyRealist]

you keep saying Iran is going to get the bomb, but how can they enrich uranium from 5% to 90% when everybody knew about the Qom facility for years etc?

[Mark]

Hey Iran...you get the nukes, but we get to flood your country with connectivity to rest of the world. No sanctions, no silliness.

Let the Iranian people fix their own problems and stay out of it as much as possible.

[Tom Barnett]

Qom is one site among many possible more. Iran probably has enough super-enriched now for 1-2, and that's all they need a la DPRK.

Trick is to keep us always guessing. That's all the deterrence they need, really.

And since I (US) really would rather not invade, we have great-power liftoff achieved.

[ConspiracyRealist]

are you (Tom) implying that the international community would not bomb Iran if they enriched past 5%? you've convinced me the world would not go to hell in a handbasket if they did, but there are careers and politics and moneys at stake, just itching for a signal to unleash Pandora's Box.