INDCJournal: "This Is Realism?"

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December 01, 2006

"This Is Realism?"

Posted by Bill

Charles Krauthammer brilliantly addresses the current tussle over Iraq policy:

The key to progress is political change within Iraq. The newest fashion, however, is to go "regional," engaging Iran and Syria in order to have them pull our chestnuts out of the fire. This idea rests on the notion that both Iran and Syria have an interest in stability in Iraq.
Very hardheaded realist terms: interest, stability, regional powers. But stringing them together to suggest that Iran and Syria share our interests in stability is the height of fantasy. In fact, Iran and Syria have an overriding interest in chaos in Iraq -- which is precisely why they each have been abetting the insurgency and fanning civil war.

Perhaps in some long-term future they will want a stable Iraq as a tame client state of the Syria-Iran axis. For now they want chaos. What in God's name will a negotiation with them yield?

The rest is worth your time.

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Posted by Bill at December 1, 2006 06:41 AM | TrackBack (1)

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Comments

I agree with the "realists" that we should go regional. But I suspect I have a different approach to Syria and Iran in mind, viz making those regimes pay for their continuing proxy war against civilization.

Posted by: Flea at December 3, 2006 05:31 AM