Mail Call

"How to Make Tehran Blink" offers a lot of wisdom, but I doubt it would ever be that simple to get a nuclear-free Iran (Sept. 4). The 2,000-year-old anti-Semitism that has recently been expressed publicly and repeatedly by Iran's president will not go away just because we make promises. An unalterable hatred seems to be part of the fabric of Iran. Besides, why would a radical Muslim country take any assurances from its stated enemy, the "Great Satan," seriously? It seems naive to think that any promises made in response to American assurances would be truthful.

Dinn Cosart

via internet

Scott Sagan presupposes that the Iranian regime bases its decisions and objectives on rational ideas. The Iranian government is centered on a religious cornerstone (with a Supreme Leader) around which the window dressings of executive and legislative branches are neatly arranged to give the perception that legitimate systems exist for open discussion of rational thoughts. Comparisons to the former Soviet Union seem completely inappropriate, as the only similarity appears to be the restrictions to personal freedom. The Iranian regime fundamentally hates and distrusts the West at the core level. It will pursue any and all means to rid the Middle East of Israel and Western influence as it builds its Islamic empire. In the end, the degree to which it is successful will depend on how much its propaganda is successful in leading its masses away from rationality toward a seemingly divine cause. To negotiate protections for the current regime is to provide it time to win the hearts and minds of its people and to formulate WMD plans that it will surely continue. This would be a great mistake for the West.

Mark Levine

Via internet