FT predicts on trade "wars" and bombing Iran
Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 11:13PM COMMENT: "Heatwaves, a guerrilla trade war and victory for Brazil: Welcome to 2010," FT Writers, Financial Times, 31 December 2009.
We are told to expect plenty of guerrilla-like actions (meaning sneaky and full of misdirection) in trade protectionism instead of a full-scale war! Why use the term "guerrilla"? It's just the natural downgrading from "war"--thus as near-equally stupid and inappropriate a term.
But look at it this way: with so little actual warfare in this world, the semantic inflation represents a national security experts full-employment act-equivalent--that and 24-hr cable news.
As for Israel bombing Iran?
No. Israel, the US and European powers will become increasingly alarmed in 2010 by signs that Iran is close to developing a nuke. Iran will make significant progress, for example, in developing its enrichment programme, defying world opinion. But Israel knows a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities remains a big risk, not least because Tehran now has the ability to counter with effective ballistic missile attacks on Israeli cities. This time next year, the question on world leaders' minds will no longer be when Iran gets bombed, but when Iran gets the bomb. James Blitz
You heard it here first, folks--about five years ago.
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