Middle East Focus: Mr. Obama’s War of Choice: James Polk in Persia, Axis of Tribal Democracies…………

Arabia Deserta

Mr. Obama’s War of Choice: James Polk in Persia, Axis of Tribal Democracies…………

Rattlesnake Ridge

BFF

“Iran presents the greatest challenges to Washington policy, mainly because Washington insists on building up Iran as a threat. The Iraq of PM Nouri al-Maliki has been moving closer to Iran, both because al-Maliki owes his position as prime minister to Iran, and in part because Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Bahrain has alarmed Shiite-ruled Baghdad. The low-key war between the US and Iran could be ratcheted up by legislation just passed by Congress that targets the Central Bank, based in Tehran. The US is increasingly blockading Iran, an act of war in international law, and the possibility of escalating tensions leading in unexpected and tragic directions cannot be discounted……………”

If Mr. Obama does not start a new war in the Persian-American Gulf within the next 10 months, if he is not forced by electoral calculations or Iranian miscalculations into one, then the next four years may be peaceful. Provided that he wins the 2012 election.
Modern Southern-based Republicans seem to have an amazing proclivity for revisiting their old mistakes and repeating them, be they in the economic field or in foreign policy. From Cambodia and Laos to Lebanon and Iraq (even blighted Afghanistan), they clearly have not learned. With two unlikely exceptions, any of the current Republican candidates is very likely, is almost certain, to start a new unprovoked war in the Middle East by attacking yet another Muslim country.
The target selected for this coming war is Iran, possibly with a Lebanese front attached to it as well (the latter a futile attempt to satisfy the Israeli and Saudi legs of this Axis of Tribal Democracies). The old days of World War I and World War II, the wars of defense, are gone to be replaced again by wars of choice. Back to the jingoistic days of James Polk, the Mexican-American War, and the Spanish-American War.
Cheers
mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com