‘Oops, I did it again’.
Some people never learn from their mistakes.
The US has unsurprisingly flown in the face of world and internal opinion to unilaterally impose sanctions on Iran. Both China and Russia have opposed the move, which is seen to be divisive at home and abroad.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jdl-FShzUCxcm9itcAMBf3k5uYbgD8SGTT7O0
The sanctions, described as “tough” are targetted at the Revolutionary Guard, via a network of banks and businesses.
A predictable move in this grand chessboard: the Iranians have responded by saying they are ready for war, but such bellicose rhetoric on both sides belies the reality. Sanctions will have even less effect on Iran than they did on Iraq. Unlike Saddam’s regime Iran has strong trading partners in a resurgent China and also Russia. They don’t actually need the US to sell their oil.
George Bush is a lame duck president. The US has had several windows of opportunity to attack Iran, in March earlier this year and in August. On both occasions they threatened without doing anything. In August coincidentally a B52 laden with nuclear bombs was on its way to Iran – before the US realised the Israeli mission to Syria – trial run for an attack on Iran – had miserably failed (the planes droped their munitions).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6991718.stm
What we’re seeing is rhetoric, the old neocon bluff to divert attention from Iraq and Afghanistan, where the battles have been ostensibly lost. It doesn’t make war any more likely – in this commentators view, by releasing political pressure on military action, it makes war less likely.
PREPARED UK 