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Stalin, Mao And … Ahmadinejad?

Conservatives have become surprisingly charitable about two of history's greatest mass murderers.

By Fareed Zakaria | NEWSWEEK
Oct 29, 2007 Issue

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  • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 1:59:23 AM

    Comment: As an American, I want to say that I'm not fooled by neoconservative and media rhetoric about the dangers of Iran. I think this is another dangerous flight of fantasy that the overgrown boy in our Oval Office is undertaking, living out childish fantasies of saving the world from evil, and in reality murdering thousands upon thousands of people while never taking responsibility for his own actions. It's fueled by American hysteria, paranoia, and ignorance and promoted by an Israeli lobby who are ignoring their own moderate population as badly as we are ignoring ours.

    Invading Iran would be a brutal act of warfare by the U.S. and probably completely collapse much of our economy to boot. It would be a moral, economic, and strategic mistake of unprecedented proportions. As a patriotic American, I urge my people back into sanity and away from this dangerous rhetoric.

  • Posted By: suhail_shafi @ 06/08/2008 12:33:07 PM

    Comment: Thank you for this article Mr Zakaria. I think it is commendable that you are now distancing yourself from the likes of the other neoconservatives and have taken it to yourself to expose their lies and myths.

    Of course, Iran has a long list of legitimate greviences against the US, from the overthrow of the legitimate leadership of Prime Minister Mossadegh in 1953, to the installment of the heavy handed autocracy of the Shah, to the corporate and military support of the human rights abuses committed by the regime installed, from the support for Saddam's aggression against Iran, to the shooting down of an Iranian civilian jetliner in 1988. Add to that the bellicose and threatening rhetoric against Iran by US politicians despite the National Intelligence Estimate's conclusions the Iranians probably gave up their nuclear bomb project as early as 2003, to mention nothing of Hillary Clinton's chilling threat to ``totally obliterate'' Iran - yes it is fair to say the Iranians have a whole litany of reasons to mistrust US foreign policy.

    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 00:56:55

      Comment: I am an American, but I agree. The list of our covert actions against Iran is a lengthier and far more abusive list than the USS Cole bombing. And I apologize to the Iranian people for the hysterical voices and actions of my countrymen. Most of us would gladly prefer peace, but that small terrified minority does its best to scream so loud that other voices are drowned out...hopefully, in the political arena, we will not be.

  • Posted By: angryrat @ 05/20/2008 8:53:39 AM

    Comment: Not so Cleverman,
    Let's look at the laundry of the US, shall we? Mexican War, Spanish-American War, Laos, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Columbia, Iran-Iraq war, Iran '53, Iran-Contra, Panama, Iraq 2003, Chile, supplying the "freedom fighters" in Afghanistan (look how well it turned out), and the list is far from over. Coups, terrorist acts, harboring terrorists, targeting civilians, covert, proxy wars, preemtive wars (you know for what Jodl was hanged), the list just goes on. I think you might be that pot calling other utensils black. Or just a hypocrite.

  • Posted By: Cleverman @ 05/01/2008 2:32:10 PM

    Comment: There has been quite a bit of hurtful language among the comments here. So gstorm85, flipzeppelin, and frydulka, a very spirited Seig Heil to the three of you on this pleasant May day. You do not remember obviously 1979 when these lunatic Iranians took our US Embassy staff by force, breaking all international laws and held them captive under brutal conditions for 444 days. You do not remember 1982-83 when Iran's paid assassins Hezbollah blew up a barracks in Beirut Lebanon killing over 200 US Marines, and 50 French soldiers. You do not recognize that Hezbollah was the perpetrator of the blowing up of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aries Argentina in the early 1990s killing 83 people, and for which the government of Argentina has issued an interpol arrest warrant for the former Iranian leaders Rafsanjani and Fallahian last November connected to that act of terrorism. Iran today is forming its own private terrorist army in the 3 country area of South America from which it can launch operations against the US homeland through our porous border with Mexico. You are not thinking about the alliances being formed with Venezuela's own lunatic, Hugo Chavez, and with the Bolivians, and perhaps with Brazil's left leaning government. You do not mention Iran's holding of several Al Queda leaders in a resort town in Northern Iran, but they will not turn these people over to the US for questioning about 9/11 activities. Of course, since you despise Jews, you may have attended the conference in Tehran last year hosted by Amaddogonajihad which had a theme to prove that the Holocaust never happened. These are fine people running the government in Tehran. We just need to understand them better according to your way of thinking, It is the idiots in our own government you condemn. It is a lot like blaming the victim in a rape situation.

  • Posted By: logic&reason @ 05/01/2008 1:38:27 PM

    Comment: Perhaps the muslim author has a bias?

    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 00:59:26

      Comment: Fareed Zakaria is not a Muslim. I see this stupid-ass misassertion every time he does an article. Read up on him in Wikipedia - not that it would matter to me if he was, but your allegations of bias are based on false premises.

  • Posted By: logic&reason @ 05/01/2008 1:38:19 PM

    Comment: Perhaps the muslim author has a bias?

  • Posted By: pjsmooth1 @ 11/20/2007 10:58:37 PM

    Comment: Grow up collingwoodh. You sound like you live in the past and really dont understand the world as it is today. If you think we can spare half of our population in a world war, why dont you be the first off of the ship and see what a difference you will make. Nukes is not the answer, its a power trip that should have never been discovered. If we are true fighters put up your dukes and stop wishing you could destroy millions with the push of a button. In my opinion we shouldnt be afraid of Iran or anyone else for that matter, but solve our matters in a less nuke way. Yes we are a mighty nation and have proven it on many occasions. Instead of tarnishing our great reputation, we need to use it to help other less fortunate nations who want to better themselves and become a part of a world community since we are all a part of the same species. :)

  • Posted By: pjsmooth1 @ 11/20/2007 10:55:49 PM

    Comment: Grow up collingwoodh. You sound like you live in the past and really dont understand the world as it is today. If you think we can spare half of our population in a world war, why dont you be the first off of the ship and see what a difference you will make. Nukes is not the answer, its a power trip that should have never been discovered. If we are true fighters put up your dukes and stop wishing you could destroy millions with the push of a button. In my opinion we shouldnt be afraid of Iran or anyone else for that matter, but solve our matters in a less nuke way. Yes we are a mighty nation and have proven it on many occasions. Instead of tarnishing our great reputation, we need to use it to help other less fortunate nations who want to better themselves and become a part of a world community since we are all a part of the same species. :)

  • Posted By: collingwoodh @ 11/19/2007 3:32:04 PM

    Comment: In my view, we should nike Iran off the map, a la Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If anyone objects, we should nuke them, too. This includes Beijing and Moscow. As for retaliation from Moscpw or Beijing, consider that we now how have a population of 300,000,000. Our population during World War II was 160,000,000. This means we could afford to lose half of our population and still emerge as mighty a nation as we were at the end of WWII.

    While we're at it, we should bring WWII to a proper close by nuking Berlin and Tokyo as well.

    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 01:00:21

      Comment: It is important that you are never allowed to direct military strategy or make a law.

  • Posted By: cjjoy@verizon.net @ 11/09/2007 4:57:09 AM

    Comment: Podhoretz and Lewis sure want us to bomb Iran, now why is that ? Also Israel has the same goal because they see Iran as an evolving competitor in their backyard. And Bush seems to pursue reinforcment for his proclivities.
    Thank heavens for Mr. Zackaria .

  • Posted By: Tchaikovsky @ 11/03/2007 12:38:06 AM

    Comment: Different country ,different ideology .

  • Posted By: tedchicago @ 11/02/2007 3:22:13 PM

    Comment: How did our liberal media become so blind, ignorant and yet prideful of these obvious facts? Does Fareed understand how obscure Hitler and Stalin where in the beginning and it was thier hatred which drove them to the crimes against humanity which they ended up commiting? wake up America and read your history.

  • Posted By: davetens @ 11/02/2007 2:10:50 PM

    Comment: This is the type of journalism that we need a lot more of these days - with the building anti-Iranian rhetoric, much of it with no basis in fact, the world (Americans in particular) cannot be content with blissful ignorance.
    The disrespect and exhibitionist name-calling ("tyrant","Hitler") that the Bush administration directs towards Ahmadinejad may carry some shock value among the American public, but it's quickly burning bridges to possible diplomatic solutions in the Middle East.
    Our nation has already seen one bloody Middle-East conflict based on exaggerated intelligence and hyperbolic claims, and we cannot afford another one. Americans must make their voices heard, and show that they want the facts, and that they want all diplomatic possibilities exhausted, rather than going straight for the big guns again.

  • Posted By: frydulka @ 10/31/2007 10:08:16 AM

    Comment: Norman Podhoretz is just the last in a line of Ukrainian Jews in the glamorous business of "nation building". His more prominent predecessor was Ilya Grigoryevich Ehrenburg. In the employ of Joseph Stalin he penned the "Kill" leaflet. An amazing piece of state propaganda that motivated Russian soldiers to rape and kill German civilians. Podhoretz follows this beaten path, with his job beeing this much easier considering American gullibility.

  • Posted By: t9900 @ 10/31/2007 8:50:00 AM

    Comment: "Comment: "extreme left wing media like Newsweek"

    Um... sorry, t9900. That phrase alone is reason enough to ignore you completely."
    I didn't think you would. The ignorance from you has destroyed your capacity to think logically. Thats why you fools are saying things that allowed Hitler to gain into power. You people would do well in Nazi Germany. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were Nazis. But your just ignorant.
    Please stop before another Hitler gets in to power.

  • Posted By: flipzeppelin @ 10/30/2007 9:16:32 PM

    Comment: What kind of planet are we on?

    A planet run by and for the benefit of Jews, of course.

  • Posted By: flipzeppelin @ 10/30/2007 9:15:00 PM

    Comment: 'we are to believe that Tehran is about to overturn the international system and replace it with an Islamo-fascist order? What planet are we on?'

    A planet run by and for the benefit of Jews of course.

    It's a planet onwhich any PERCEIVED threat to the Jews, no matter how remote, is treatened as an imminent and extremely serious threat, and all other threats are downgrded to the lowest priority.

  • Posted By: gstorms85 @ 10/30/2007 9:11:18 PM

    Comment: Podhoretz doesn't need to provide any evidence. He knows that everything he's saying is complete and utter BS. His only purpose is to come up with garbage to trick Americans into fighting wars and dying for israel. Podhoretz isn't an American, he's a Jew. And no, that isn't "anti-semetic" or racist. The truth is that Podhoretz is a Jew living in America whose real love is for Israel and Jews, and couldn't care less about America. The only thing on his mind is how he can use America to benefit Israel, and that is exactly what he is doing by instigating hostility towards Iran. And president Bush considers this guy some kind of philosopher that he takes advice from. Is it just coincidence that all of these nations that we are suddenly aggressive to all happen to be the biggest threats to israel in the middle east? Just like the article stated, there are bigger threats in the world such as North Korea, and yet for some reason we are focused on Iran. Why?

    Keep America out of all world conflicts and international policing and nation building. Let's make America the great nation it once was by putting the focus back on America and the American people.

  • Posted By: davie @ 10/30/2007 7:37:27 PM

    Comment: The Israel-First Neo-Con wackos do not represent anything about Judaism. They are really weird. Here they go with this drumbeat hysteria about Iran while the mean and oppressive State of Israel is armed to the teeth with at least 250 nuclear devices. I mean, what world are we living in, that these people can hijack American policy and destroy the world? Is anyone even in the Democrat Party paying attention? As a Jew I can tell you clearly that there is more to life in this world than to State of Israel, which violates all principles of the Jewish religion! American leaders have to put America's interests first, second and third. Not those of the State of Israel or any other country for that matter.

  • Posted By: lexsali @ 10/30/2007 4:59:12 PM

    Comment: Yes! I agree completely. Zakaria for President!
    One thing I will never understand is our hypocrisy when it comes to the Middle East. How convenient is it to forget that WE, yes, WE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, have funded IRAEL'S nuclear stockpile and powerful military in the heart of the Middle East, and are now DENYING Iran the right to own nuclear weapons? How stupid do we think they are? If you were in the middle of a school fight, and your teacher came up to you and told you to put down your rock that you were planning on hurling at the other guy, would you do it? Would you do it if the other guy had a rock poised in the air that was twice as big as yours? Would you do it if the teacher picked up her own rock and threatened you with it, and told you to put yours down? Would you do it? What would anyone watching this scene think if the teacher turned to the world and accused you of being evil because you wouldn't put down your rock?

    Why is this so hard to understand?

  • Posted By: lexsali @ 10/30/2007 4:58:47 PM

    Comment: Yes! I agree completely. Zakaria for President!
    One thing I will never understand is our hypocrisy when it comes to the Middle East. How convenient is it to forget that WE, yes, WE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, have funded IRAEL'S nuclear stockpile and powerful military in the heart of the Middle East, and are now DENYING Iran the right to own nuclear weapons? How stupid do we think they are? If you were in the middle of a school fight, and your teacher came up to you and told you to put down your rock that you were planning on hurling at the other guy, would you do it? Would you do it if the other guy had a rock poised in the air that was twice as big as yours? Would you do it if the teacher picked up her own rock and threatened you with it, and told you to put yours down? Would you do it? What would anyone watching this scene think if the teacher turned to the world and accused you of being evil because you wouldn't put down your rock?

    Why is this so hard to understand?

  • Posted By: Dr Rick @ 10/30/2007 4:13:06 PM

    Comment: Thanks for exposing the madmen who are bent on waging yet another unnecessary war of aggression

  • Posted By: steambadger @ 10/30/2007 1:38:53 PM

    Comment: "extreme left wing media like Newsweek"

    Um... sorry, t9900. That phrase alone is reason enough to ignore you completely.

  • Posted By: t9900 @ 10/30/2007 10:00:00 AM

    Comment: Spyder1jcd has been one of the only people here who has said anything intelligent.
    The Iranian President is cazy and must be stopped but he cannot be compared to Hilter or Stalin. But if we ignore him, maybe someday he might be comparable to him.
    You need to grow uo and find a source of facts besides Newsweek.

  • Posted By: t9900 @ 10/30/2007 9:46:42 AM

    Comment: My commment was erased. Basically I said you people are very ignorant. You need to become moderate conservatives or liberals or centrists and not the ignorant Stalin worshiping left wingers you nutcases are. Bush is not the worst President we ever had. You hate him more than you do the people that attacked us on 9/11. And if you think Bush is responible for 9/11 or if you think Bush is a mass murderer than you need to get off the drugs. Iran is dangerous with nukes and must be dealt with in a good way. War or not.

  • Posted By: t9900 @ 10/30/2007 9:38:01 AM

    Comment: The only intelligent statment said in these comments was said by Spyder1jcd. You people need to start learning from things other than the media. And i don't mean FOX or NBC. I mean you extreme left wing media like Newsweek. Some of you sound even worse than the terrorists and Iranian leadership that want to wipe Isreal of the face of this Earth. Some of you even think Isreal should be. And to the people who who call Bush a mass murder. Shut up now. You have no idea. Stop worshiping your communist and left wing mass murders and grow up. Bush hasn't killed "millions of muslims". Bush nor conservatives don't want to "make America bankrupt or kill the American youth". The only people who want to do that are the ignorant fools like you. And to nodupe, the fool who claims Bush caused 9/11, drugs are illegal for a reason. Perhaps its time for you to get off of them.
    I will say this again. Bush is not our worst President. If you thought white surpremacy orgs and muslim extremists were the biggest haters ever than you are wrong. Ther people who listen to Newsweek, however ,are. I have never heard more hate torwards to a group of people that do not deserve until I heard the foul trash you idiots started typing. If you want to spread the hate and tear our country apart and continue to ignore the Irainian government then bunch up into a group in Californa or something so when are enemies get wepaons and the nukes start flying you start dieing. The world does not need you left wing extremists nutcases in the world. At least of the dignity to become a moderate liberal or moderate conservative or even a centrist. Not a ignorant Stalin worshiping extreme left winger.

  • Posted By: mzysik @ 10/30/2007 1:14:30 AM

    Comment: Truly unbelievable. I fear for the country my children and friends children are growing up in. How can anyone of you not see the obvious need to stop any country in the unstable middle east, regardless of the size of its economy and "world domination designs" from developing nuclear weapons?

    In the Middle East, when is the last time anyone has seen real progress on the violence we have come accustomed to seeing on a daily basis resolved to any great extent through diplomatic efforts? Since when has appeasing an aggressive madman through diplomacy with stated designs to wiping an entire nation off the face of the planet worked to avoid conflict? Since when is anyone comfortable with such a nation, that also supports terror networks, developing and possessing nuclear weapons?

    This debate is on the verge of sounding ridiculous as it is lacking all common sense. Does this mean we want a war? Absolutely not. But I do believe it is time for everyone to sit back and think seriously about what is happening in the middle east and how best to deal with it. No nation in the history of the world has ever diplomatically dodged a war without backing up their diplomacy with the real theat and conviction of using their military might to back up their words. And constant "words" in our media and other outlets that continuously make the United States sound like a paper tiger only strengthen those nations that wish to cause us and others around them harm since it only makes them believe we will not use are forces to back up what we believe. All nations that have forced their will, even their will for good in the world, having never been successful at doing so unless they have been willing to back up their words with their military might. This is a known truth and common sense, both of which seem to be lacking in this discussion.

  • Posted By: farfar @ 10/29/2007 9:20:03 PM

    Comment: Mr. Zakaria, THANK YOU!!! for brining the reality into perspective for us and I wish your voice would be louder. We don't hear the truth when it comes to Iran. Why: They are the only country that openly opposes US policy in the region and does not like the 'Zionists'. Yes Ahmadinejad is no diplomat and not a good leader for his people and should be removed, however, when Khatami was in power and made big strides in creating peace in the region he was given the Axis of Evil speech!!! So who is right? Neither side. Is Iran a threat to the region: No. Why? If they wanted to be, they would have done so with what they have and long time ago. They don't need nuclear bombs for that!! The only accusation currently against Iran: their weapons are killing are soldiers and they support Hizbollah! Well my firends, American weapons has killed more people in the world than any other country! And by the way Saddam has received a 10 times more support and money back in the 80's from US than Iran has provided financial aid to Lebanon and Hizbollah. BTW, Hizbollah is a legit group in Lebanon with representation in their parliamant, but we Americans know better! Bottom line: We need all extremists out: Bush, Cheney and Ahmadinejad

  • Posted By: FATJOEY @ 10/29/2007 3:29:49 PM

    Comment: iran doesnt need a nuclear bomb from self defence towelhead!

  • Posted By: M.A.Rana @ 10/29/2007 2:08:32 AM

    Comment: President Bush said Hitllor is in, I will say yes but this Bush who is following Hitlar foot steps not President Ahmed. He is nationalist. Every nation has right of self defence. When other 5-7 countries are having Automic facility and maney are having hiddenly and to some one USA is offering to Sale. Why Iran is being dealt differently.

  • Posted By: Yakov Georgovich @ 10/27/2007 7:04:52 PM

    Comment: We don't have to turn our ears to Israel to hear irresponsible comments that harm our national security, we have our own Tom Tancredo spouting hateful bigoted venom, venom that President Bush's State Department has called "reprehensible" and "absolutely crazy."

  • Posted By: commeonsense @ 10/27/2007 3:00:45 AM

    Comment: asdasd

  • Posted By: Cyrus @ 10/26/2007 6:58:15 PM

    Comment: What more can be said after reading this article? Knowing that president Khatami had offered to normalize relation with US and only to see that his offer was ignored. It is up to the american people to demand from their media to stop printing lies. For american people who have always been blaming the communist media to manipulate the news, it is about time to demand the truth from their own.

  • Posted By: Pecos_Bill @ 10/26/2007 3:35:28 PM

    Comment: But, Bush IS a neoconservative crank!!! And his comments show that he doesn't even understand the real problem. The issue isn't the knowledge to create nukes, that information is all over the internet. The issue is the fissionable material and the equipment to do this. Shame on our president's baby-sitters for sending him into a press conference unprepared to parrot the answers he should have given! Did anyone else notice this?

  • Posted By: northv @ 10/26/2007 1:15:58 PM

    Comment: This is a great article and hopefully more will take this lead in the media. Everybody wants to say that times have changed and Iran is a new threat. Atrocities don't need time limits. Killing millions of people like Stalin, Mao and King Jon II is not too distant away and need a professional dictator with infrastructure to do it. Stinking Ahmadinejad is a joke. Would Stalin and Mao ever answered a question about "homosexuals"? More importantly what is it that makes neocons think they can win in Iran with 70 million population and 3 times the size of Iraq when Iraq is a glaring and most recent example as recent as today. More in media should keep the record straight. What is it, CNN and MSNBC are now bowing to Fox News. Come on have a back bone! stand straight and talk against war and this nonsense comparison of Ahmadinejad to history's strongest dictators. Even Columbia's president said he is a petty dictator.

  • Posted By: akhtar @ 10/26/2007 11:55:00 AM

    Comment: the stance of america on the iran nuclear issue is quite correct because iran under ahmadnejadi is irresponsible.the threat of the irani president to israel is an open secret.iran should be taken to taske other wise it is dangerous for the entire world. zahir_shah01@yahoo.com

  • Posted By: Nasiruddin @ 10/26/2007 4:35:05 AM

    Comment: Comment: The incumbent US president Bush himself is good enough to destabilize international order. Look at him in every opportunate moment. How he talks, how he articulates. He fumbles on foreign policy issues when there is no aide besides him. He is superb in sticking guns to others. At a time when world best American universities produce most outstanding people Bush is no match to them to lead a nation and to establish American superiority in the comity of nations. With poor academic background and no trace of human values and liberalism in his character he hardly can understand the nittygritty's of the International order and rising challenges of the ongoing century. American friends should realize this and the sooner they get rid of him American glory as a number one democratic nation will be restored once for all. The foreign policy this great nation is pursuing now under Bush's leadership not only accentuating hatred against America this will cost dearly to the world peace and order. A historic nation like America can't boast of it's leaders who behave like notorious Idi Amin and tinpot military dictators.
    Ahmed

  • Posted By: Black Max @ 10/25/2007 11:47:47 PM

    Comment: Thank you, Mr. Zakaria. As Rosa Brooks notes in the October 25 issue of the LA Times, Bush and Cheney have not merely gone "over the top" with their war hysteria towards Iran, they have become full-blown psychotics, dangerous madmen who pose a grave and imminent threat to the world. They are far more dangerous than any pocket tyrant like Ahmadinejad or Saddam Hussein. One can see in the comments to this article alone just how extreme the reactions are -- right-wingers calling for more bombings and murder, at least one irate Israel-hater calling for the hanging of Israeli supporters in Times Square. It is madness, pure and simple, and I put the blame squarely at the feet of Bush and (more directly) Cheney. The mindset, encouraged by the Bush administration, is: if someone scares you or makes you feel uncomfortable, kill them right now, before they can frighten you further. It is madness. It must end, right now. The killing must stop, the hate must be countered with rationality and diplomacy and sanity. Now. No more tolerance of the intolerable.

  • Posted By: methinks @ 10/25/2007 12:31:52 PM

    Comment: Let???s see. Why does Iran want the bomb? Bush calls them one of the axis of evil. They should be overthrown. He did not want to get into any dialog because of their policies. Doesn???t start talking until they start wanting the bomb. Those being in power don???t want to lose it. They know their military can???t compete with ours. The country next to them is invaded. The only leverage they could get would be to have a bomb. What did you really expect them to do? Invite us over for a campfire, roast some weenies, hold hands and sing ???Kombayah???? Come on. What did you really expect? Reverse the roles and what would you want us to do? Give them something to change their minds. Just saber rattling isn???t going to work. It did not work with North Korea until we offered them something.

    Drop a few bombs in Iran and everything will be alright? What do you want to spend for a gallon of gas? Would like to spend $10? We are going to pay for this Iraqi war for many, many years because of this flawed invasion. In bombing Iran we will pay even more. In the 70's if we just found something else to run our cars, we would not be there. Ah, but it was too expensive -- too inconvenient ??? we can???t be bothered. Paying for that now, aren???t we?

    And it does not help when the U.S. is run by a bunch of incompetents with a flawed agenda. Unfortunately, we will have to put up these nimrods for another 15 months. They can just run us further into the ditch.

  • Posted By: zaaazu @ 10/24/2007 11:10:15 PM

    Comment: to Syderijed:
    You and other Israel firsters conveniently hide the fact that your spoilt little Israel has more than 200 nukes and more weapons of mass destruction than any country in ME. All paid for by US tax-dollar money. Disloyal Israeli firster Jews should be bombed first and hanged in Times Square. Your kind of unpatriotic Americans are the ones taking US to war with all in MidEast for you dreams of Greater Israel. Israel is the biggest terrorist in the world.

    • Posted By: Spyder1jcd @ 10/27/2007 13:37:12

      Comment: Zaaazu, when Shimon Peres says that he wants to wipe an entire nation off the map and starts calling Muslims "pigs" and "subhuman," then we can talk.

      • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 16:49:38

        Comment: Those comments have all been translated ridiculously poorly by our media. There is no phrase translating to "wiped off the map" in Farsi; what Ahmadinejad actually said was closer to "the current expansionist regime in Israel must come to an end".

        Why don't you try learning something about these cultures you so roundly condemn before you start thinking you know what's going on?

  • Posted By: zaaazu @ 10/24/2007 11:05:46 PM

    Comment: Syderijed:
    And you conveniently hide the fact that your dear little spoilt brat Israel has more than 200 nuclear warheads. All paid for by at our US hard-earned tax dollars. It is Israel that is the biggest problem in the world.

  • Posted By: riversong @ 10/24/2007 9:14:09 PM

    Comment: I didn't know what to believe after reading this article. Zakaria makes a strong argument and seems to support it with solid facts, but I kept getting the suspicion that he's simplifying the matter too much. Iran is somewhat important, right?

  • Posted By: Adrian Jawort @ 10/24/2007 7:25:10 PM

    Comment: We need to establish an Embassy in Iran, and with that you can use it as a springboard for cultural, economic, and social ties. Those are the things needed to keep incentives to maintain a peace.
    Think: In a potential war between the United States and Iran, none of the 30-and-under population in Iran or the U.S. will have ever come in real contact with each other as a result of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, because most of them weren???t even alive then. These same young people would be called upon to bear the brunt of the fighting. An estimated half of Iran???s 70 million population (more than double Iraq???s) is under 30.

  • Posted By: Adrian Jawort @ 10/24/2007 7:21:32 PM

    Comment: We need to establish our Embassy again in Iran. With that, you can use that as a springboard for economic, social, and cultural ties, and therefor negating any reason that leaders would want to go to war. Those are all the incentives needed to maintain the peace rather than suspicioulsly making pretentious judgements and threatening each other.

    Think:: In a potential war between the United States and Iran, none of the 30-and-under population in Iran or the U.S. will have ever come in real contact with each other as a result of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, because most of them weren???t even alive then. These same young people would be called upon to bear the brunt of the fighting. An estimated half of Iran???s 70 million population (more than double Iraq???s) is under 30.

  • Posted By: Spyder1jcd @ 10/24/2007 7:09:52 PM

    Comment: Mr. Zakaria's article is cleverly deceptive, to say the least. Reading it, I momentarily forgot the big picture regarding Ahmadinejad. Zakaria creates the illusion that any threat Ahmadinejad poses to anyone is nothing compared to, say, the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany. He depicts the idea of Iran bringing about World War III as absurd. But is it? Zakaria fails to take a few important things into account. No, Iran does not have the strength of a superpower like the Soviet Union. But if a country like Pakistan can develop nuclear capabilities, why not Iran? And no, Iran may not have any Middle Eastern allies beyond Syria. But Ahmadinejad is in bed with forces outside the Arab world, like Russia. And as long as Zakaria is invoking North Korea, let's not forget the $10 million missile deal that Saddam Hussein had with Kim Jong Il shortly before we went in and broke up the party. Is it really a stretch to fear the Axis of Evil coming full circle via a similar missile deal between North Korea and Iran, especially considering the fact that this deal was being negotiated in Syria with the knowledge of the Assad government? And perhaps most prominently, Zakaria completely ignores the very real danger that Ahmadinejad poses to Israel, a very important ally of ours in the Middle East. Indeed, many of Ahmadinejad's comments regarding Israel and Jews are more than a little reminiscent of Hitler. And if, as Hans Blix admits, Iran is capable of developing long-range missiles (able to hit Europe and the U.S.) by 2015 (which, unfortunately for Zakaria's argument, falls within Ahmadinejad's two-term limit), who's to say how early Iran will have a missile that only needs to reach Israel? Does Iran really need to attack US to incur a military response from us? Finally, Zakaria makes a terrible mistake in saying that "we're on a path to irreversible confrontation with a country we know almost nothing about." First of all, we know all that we need to know about Iran, namely that it is under the control of a president who has both the means and the motive to launch a disastrous attack on either the United States or Israel in the near future (and who, despite what Zakaria claims, is not a harmless figurehead, and can be granted military control by the Supreme Leader). And more importantly, there is no imminent conflict. As nearly everyone from Bush to Giuliani has stated, military action against Iran is merely an option, albeit a very serious one. Although Zakaria depicts otherwise, American conservatives would like nothing more than a peaceful and diplomatic solution with Iran. But with the U.N.'s failure to take any determined steps in that direction, and Ahmadenijad showing no signs of ending his quest for nuclear weaponry, launching a pre-emptive strike on Iran is becoming a more prominent possibility, and a viable one at that.

    • Posted By: Beh_zad @ 10/25/2007 16:32:57

      Comment: Dear sir,
      you are missing one point that is Facts Vs. imagination
      The author talks about the facts but, you are talking about "what if".
      What if china start bombing US. WE need to go after china and the rest of wold as well

      • Posted By: Spyder1jcd @ 10/27/2007 13:34:39

        Comment: Tell me this: has the Chinese president ever expressed explicit support for Islamic terrorists? This is not some far-fetched "what if" based on a hunch. Have you even seen the propaganda broadcast on Iranian television? Ahmadinejad supports the radical anti-West ideologies of Jihadists and Islamists, and Iran is aiding the terrorists killing our soldiers in Iraq. Iran is our enemy. No, we do not know if, should Iran develop nuclear weapons, we will be the target. Like I said, military action is merely an option, and by no means the front-runner. But it needs to remain on the table, especially considering Iran's overt hostility to our ally Israel.

        • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 01:44:33

          Comment: We have so badly mistranslated just about every Persian statement that Ahmadinejad and Khamenei ever made that I would not trust the literacy of any Western media news report on them. Ahmadinejad did not state that "Israel should be wiped off the map". His words were closer to "I hope that the expansionist regime in Israel ends". This is more akin to an American saying "I hope the next president is less warlike than Bush" instead of "my countrymen should be killed because of who they are". It's one of the most dangerous mistranslations I've ever seen.

  • Posted By: vwpnt @ 10/24/2007 4:26:50 PM

    Comment: What do you expect from a President and Vice-President with primitive, simplistic, naive, bellicose and ill-informed views about the world. Watch this space, daddy Bush invaded Somalia just a month before leaving office, dumping the mess on the next adminstration. What is is his idiot son capable of?

  • Posted By: vwpnt @ 10/24/2007 4:21:05 PM

    Comment: Zakaria has provided an important and cogent perspective on the fiasco that is this Administration's foreign policy. Bush and Cheney seem incapable of sophisticated analysis about our relations around the world and apply the necessary adroit diplomatic overtures to further the interests of the U.S. The Bush worldview; simplistic, naive, ill-informed and bellicose is bound to lead us into another quagmire before this disastrous presidency comes to an end. Remember his father intervened in Somalia just one month before leaving office, dumping the mess on the Clinton Adminstration. It's a pattern of irresponsible exercise of power which the son has taken to an even greater heights. Too bad no one in the media or Congress can muster the gumption to confront and impede the train wreck headed our way.

  • Posted By: Tilleyman3299 @ 10/24/2007 1:53:46 PM

    Comment: I think the world is going to be one big nuclear war because of the President sticking his nose into another person's business. Wjhat they do in their country should be their business and not ours. We need to take carre of what we have at home before we take care of the rest of the world...

  • Posted By: Tilleyman3299 @ 10/24/2007 1:51:44 PM

    Comment: I think the President is just looking for a fight with all the nations in the world before he gets out of office and I think that if he keeps pushing then the other nations are going to push back...My personal opinion is to just keep our nose out of other people's business if we can't attend to our own. The President is just askig for another war before he gets out of office. PResident Bush should've been pushed out of office a long time ago.

  • Posted By: Tilleyman3299 @ 10/24/2007 1:48:20 PM

    Comment: I think that the President is just looking for another way to make a big ipact on the world by trying to start another war that he can't finish. President bush is just wanting to jump in everone's throat for suspecting them to have somethimg to do with nuclear weapons. I think that Bush should have been voted out of office a long time ago. Our troops have been gone for far too long and now it is time for them to come home. If we wnet to war with ever nation that we thought have something to do with nuclear weapons then we would be fighting the world. As our history show, we are young and a very foolish nation. We, the President, are just looking for a way to start trouble. I know that we have been a good place to live but when the world is trying to kill us then we will have no way to be the nation that the world think we are. The Entire Goveernment went into the power of the president and i think that it is time for a real person and not a idiot to run the country and keep our nose out of everyone else's business.

  • Posted By: bill 64 @ 10/24/2007 12:43:44 PM

    Comment: I think we shold go after i ran now ,i am tired of these weenie cowards that think iran is the greatest
    country.in the world.

    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 01:40:59

      Comment: Learn to type before you come in with comments that could kill millions. Newsweek badly needs moderation on these boards.

  • Posted By: staind @ 10/24/2007 10:54:06 AM

    Comment: im my opinion the monetary system should turn out from USD to EURO.Or U.S People should limit Bush authority in financial system if the world war III wants to be avoided .If we expand the topic with an example when a mad person armed with heavy weapons he can harm himself as well as others.U.S government has an oppurtunity to expand the money stock in the world which can finance its demand.Bush armed himself with this weapon but he desnt know how his policy will effect the economy in the future.Greenspan pointed this problem couple of days ago.But everybody is trying to zip him:)U.S citizens pay taxes and Bush spread this money to the world without any knowledge for bringing democracy to the other side of the world but he is not able to finance this war with taxes he finance this war by boosting money stock.Other words we should compare Bush and H??ttler.One of killed millions of Jewish another is still killing millions of muslim. The world war III can be prevented by changing the monetary system or resignation of Bush.

  • Posted By: staind @ 10/24/2007 10:51:04 AM

    Comment: im my opinion the monetary system should turn out from USD to EURO.Or U.S People should limit Bush authority in financial system if the world war III wants to be avoided .If we expand the topic with an example ??f a mad person armed with heavy weapons he can harm himself as well as others.U.S government has an oppurtunity to expand the money stock in the world which can finance its demand.Bush armed himself with this weapon but he dont know how his policsy will effect the economy in the future.Greenspan pointed this problem couple of days ago.U.S citizens pay taxes and Bush spread this money to the world without any knowledge for bringing democracy to the other side of the world but he is not able to finance this war with taxes he finance this war by boosting money stock.Other words we should compare Bush and H??ttler.One of killed millions of Jewish another is still killing millions of muslim. The world war III can be prevented by changing the monetary system or resignation of Bush.

    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 01:40:22

      Comment: The Euro will probably replace the American dollar as the world's dominant currency if the U.S. initiates military action against Iran. The American economy (my country's economy) will almost certainly collapse to an extent rivalling the Depression or worse.

  • Posted By: Takyettin @ 10/24/2007 9:12:10 AM

    Comment: k

  • Posted By: Takyettin @ 10/24/2007 9:10:35 AM

    Comment: if American people are interested in avoiding World War III, they should be careful not to give chance any more to the people like Bush and Cheny to get power. It is in the hands of American people to save the world. More rational of them more hope for future

  • Posted By: nodupe @ 10/23/2007 5:44:35 PM

    Comment: comment : With mad criminals at the Whie House, bush and cheney and their neocon enablers, we have to stop vilifying Stalin and Hitler and Mao who never went so far as massmudering their own people 9/11 style and blaming it on Muslims because they hate our freedom stuff. . These criminals are the worst in human history and any comparison with the most ruthless bloodsucker would be ludicrous and totally absurd. But look at the other side. What wrong has Ahmadinedjad commited besides defending his people's absolute and sacred and basic rights? He is not mad or stupid. Even with the biggest nuclear arsenal he would never ever attack Israel first. He wants to have the means of defending his country. And he is perfectly entitled to it in the face of zionist's irrationality and violence and neoclonialism.

  • Posted By: nodupe @ 10/23/2007 5:41:54 PM

    Comment: comment : With mad criminals at the Whie House, bush and cheney and their neocon enablers, we have to stop vilifying Stalin and Hitler and Mao who never went so far as massmudering their own people 9/11 style and blaming it on Muslims because they hate our freedom stuff. . These criminals are the worst in human history and any comparison with the most ruthless bloodsucker would be ludicrous and totally absurd. But look at the other side. What wrong has Ahmadinedjad commited besides defending his people's absolute and sacred and basic rights? He is not mad or stupid. Even with the biggest nuclear arsenal he would never ever attack Israel first. He wants to have the means of defending his country. And he is perfectly entitled to it in the face of zionist's irrationality and violence and neoclonialism.

  • Posted By: nodupe @ 10/23/2007 5:25:40 PM

    Comment: We have to stop vilifying Stalin and Hitler and Mao. These men never staged a 9/11 massacre of their own people accusing muslims because muslims hate our freedom. History has never witnessed such outrageous barbaric acts of savagery. The massmurderers at the White House, Bush and Cheney, and their neocon enablers are the most dangerous criminals in entire human history. Ahmadinejad has done no offense and deserves our respects because he merely defends the absolute and basic rights of his people.. Thank You. Nodupe

  • Posted By: drobert_bfm @ 10/23/2007 4:37:25 PM

    Comment: Funny how Zakaria is now railing AGAINST the neo-cons... He used to be one, back when he was participating in secret sessions with the Bush regime helping them create a strategy to sell the Iraq war (which should have gotten him fired from Newsweek)... Did Podhoretz say something bad about Zakaria's mother?

  • Posted By: worldlover @ 10/23/2007 3:55:06 PM

    Comment: i hope that this world caries for it self and will stop the mad man in the the white house from attacking that pour state called iran and prevent from killing milions there like in iraq

  • Posted By: LateMan @ 10/23/2007 3:17:08 PM

    Comment: Please note unfortunatly for the rest of the world NeoCons, Isreal and their lobbiest in DC and of course the weapon making cartel and Iranian dictatorship needs this war (they all have their reasons) and will get it at one point in the future, from the first day that we attacked Iraq, Iran was the next stage.
    Regards

  • Posted By: Tara G @ 10/23/2007 12:37:41 PM

    Comment: Here is the problem, if you are reading this article or these comments , you are already a minority in the United States of America. Bush or Podholz are not talking to you, they are addressing the 59 million pin heads who voted for him the 2nd time despite the fact that all his lies were exposed. i for one have resigned from expectation of any sanity in this world. It has taken us thousands of years to build up the world and it will take us few days to destroy it. It may not be the first time we have done, who knows ?

  • Posted By: ibiz123 @ 10/23/2007 12:28:52 PM

    Comment: This is the most crucial time for Presidential hopefuls. One comment about Israel hegemony, in favor of iran or even a simple Muslim guy on street means they will piss of ISREAL LOBBY and the Jewish votes. Our America is being run by ISRAEL_FIRSTER Jews and their lapdogs Evangelicals. Israel runs our Foreign Policy thru AIPAC (American ISRAEL Public Affairs Committee), JINSA, and other hundreds of Jewish organisations. Israeli Jews play on both the sides, Repub and Democrat. And that's the reason ISRAEL_FIRSTER Jews will always have their way in US. They will make US attack, Iran, Syria, Saudi all the way upto Pakistan for their dreams of Eratz Israel.
    Check out "The Israel Lobby" by Maersheimer and Walt.

  • Posted By: ibiz123 @ 10/23/2007 12:28:18 PM

    Comment: This is the most crucial time for Presidential hopefuls. One comment about Israel hegemony, in favor of iran or even a simple Muslim guy on street means they will piss of ISREAL LOBBY and the Jewish votes. Our America is being run by ISRAEL_FIRSTER Jews and their lapdogs Evangelicals. Israel runs our Foreign Policy thru AIPAC (American ISRAEL Public Affairs Committee), JINSA, and other hundreds of Jewish organisations. Israeli Jews play on both the sides, Repub and Democrat. And that's the reason ISRAEL_FIRSTER Jews will always have their way in US. They will make US attack, Iran, Syria, Saudi all the way upto Pakistan for their dreams of Eratz Israel.
    Check out "The Israel Lobby" by Maersheimer and Walt.

    • Posted By: tucket1 @ 10/23/2007 14:24:34

      Comment: huh? How could an organization of Israeli Jews ( what are the Russian Jews or American Jews doing to our country?) be so in control of our foreign policy that no one seems to know it? If it really is a conspiracy how did you get so informed? Your hate is not only sickening, but scary. I suggest you get checked out. Maybe a new anti-pyschotic drug would help you or at least protect the rest of us.

  • Posted By: sammadino @ 10/23/2007 12:02:08 PM

    Comment: Mr. Zakaria,
    I wish there were more conscientious and informed people like yourself out there. The media, the pillar of our democracy is maligned with weak journalism, sensationalism and biased reporting. From CNN to FOX I rarely see any facts figured or deep analysis. America is at a decline and the feckless media is main reason.

  • Posted By: peaceonearth @ 10/23/2007 10:39:02 AM

    Comment: I am wondering why our Senators and Representatives in Washington don't oppose the start of another war. Obviousley, Bush and Cheney want to do this before they leave office, but we have other representatives who are key players, who can oppose this and make some noise about it? I'm talking about Sen. Clinton, Sen. Biden, Sen. Obama, Sen. Dodd, and others.
    Common, it's about time you grew a backbone and stood up to the most destructive administration USA has ever had.
    Just simple speeches and skimish remarks won't help either, be forceful and passionate so we can prevent another war.
    Iranians are not violent, invasive people. They have only defended themselves against Saddam Hussein when he invaded Iran. No powerful country defended them or cooperated with them when they went through a war that was forced on them for 9 years.

  • Posted By: tiw_w @ 10/23/2007 10:09:32 AM

    Comment: While I am honestly unable to discern the right course of action for the current American leadership, what I do know is that unilaterally initiating war on a country that lauded its president for standing up to flagrant disrespect by American youths will only, and surely, serve to further alienate an entire nation who have never been pro-American to start with. This effect is likely to ripple through the entire region - and probably the world - and aggravate fermenting anti-American sentiment in places like Pakistan and of course North Korea, which may very well think itself next on the hit-list. The precariously influential neo-conservatives in power are arguing for a course that will lead to a diplomatic fiasco quite unprecedented and deliver the moral high ground to an unpredictable regime on a silver platter. All that burning of American tax revenues and lives, to pre-empt the possibly dangerous actions of a regime that might, just might, madly fire away nuclear missiles that it seems to possess. I think.

  • Posted By: 911isajoke @ 10/23/2007 10:07:30 AM

    Comment: Mr. Zakaria is absolutely correct. Whatever we might think about their leadership, Iran poses no threat to us. Bush claimed Iran wanted to destroy Israel and thus there would be World War III, but in reality Ahamadinejad referred to Israel as an illegitimate state which would "vanish from the page of time". Please see "WIPED OFF THE MAP" - The Rumor of the Century by Mr. Arash Norouzi for thorough proof of this claim: www.mohammadmossadegh.com/news/rumor-of-the-century

    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 01:36:16

      Comment: Yep, exactly. I can't believe that our Western media is so bad at reading Persian, but then again, most Western countries have Middle Eastern language departments that would shame a community college.

  • Posted By: voglpet2 @ 10/23/2007 9:17:12 AM

    Comment: How come, there are no atomic bombs in Iran though plenty in Israel though Israel is regarded angel and Iran is regarded devil on earth by you.

  • Posted By: voglpet2 @ 10/23/2007 9:14:45 AM

    Comment: How come, there are no atomic bombs in Iran though lots of them in Israel though Israel seems to be an angel and Iran the devil on earth.

  • Posted By: DarthCheney @ 10/23/2007 6:43:51 AM

    Comment: I find it interesting that soo many, like 'hifromthesky', have taken the propaganda of US and Israeli governments at face value. No evidence has been provided, and none likely exists that Iran is actually after a nuclear device. Sure, its possible they might be, but there is no evidence of such a claim, thus it cannot be fact, such that is claimed by our governments, and thus the media in nearly all cases. This seemingly insignificant lie has been pushed soo much in the media in the past 2 years, that it has become known as 'fact' to everyone but those who chose to educate themselves outside of the daily news of CNN, NBC, FOX, etc.

  • Posted By: DarthCheney @ 10/23/2007 6:43:06 AM

    Comment: I find it interesting that soo many, like 'hifromthesky', have taken the propaganda of US and Israeli governments at face value. No evidence has been provided, and none likely exists that Iran is actually after a nuclear device. Sure, its possible they might be, but there is no evidence of such a claim, thus it cannot be fact, such that is claimed by our governments, and thus the media in nearly all cases. This seemingly insignificant lie has been pushed soo much in the media in the past 2 years, that it has become known as 'fact' to everyone but those who chose to educate themselves outside of the daily news of CNN, NBC, FOX, etc.

  • Posted By: writeon @ 10/23/2007 5:14:42 AM

    Comment: What I find most disturbing is that 'neo-conservatives' like Podhoretz and others have attained such levels of influence at the heart of the american government, people who, frankly have a bizarre, paranoid and extremist veiw of the world. Political and ideological extremists are now closer to real power in America than ever before, and this is a profound problem. These people have the ear of the president and they are dangerous. President Bush doesn't have the intellectual balast, curiosity or inclination to critically examine the advice he's getting about Iran and we appear to be sliding towards war - again. Bush should be more careful when he refers to world war three. Bush is probably the most powerful man on earth, with the most powerful military in history at his disposal, he should not casually make these kind of remarks. It's very dangerous. Does it reflect thinking in the Whitehouse? If it does then we are in dire straights.

    What's also deeply disturbing is the level of agression directed towards Iran by most mainstream politicians in the US. The leading presidential candidates almost appear to be competing with each other to show how hawkish they are, and that they too are willing to use nuclear weapons against Iran if necessary.

    What would a war with Iran really achieve? Do we really think regime change is possible in Iran? That the United States can impose a pro-western regime in Iran? How realistic is this idea? But does realism even come into it? Why believe in realism when one has faith? How rational are the people around Bush? Do they believe that a short, sharp, nuclear attack on Iran would be the ultimate projection of American power and will? Real shock and awe? A lesson for the whole region and the world? That the United States really means business, bow or be burned?

    Leaving the possible destruction of Iran, one has to wonder whether american democracy can really survive yet another unprovoked attack on a far weaker nation which poses no credible threat to the United States. So perhaps war with Iran will only prove to be a terrible disaster for Iran, but for the United States as well?

  • Posted By: rasarx@hotmail.com @ 10/23/2007 2:13:40 AM

    Comment: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. For all you who believed Bush the first time, about Iraq's non-existent WMDs, about how the war would pay for itself (did ya hear Bush asked for ANOTHER 196 BILLION, not a typo, 196 BILLION, for the next few months of the Iraq war, and that's not the end, more of these war bills will keep on coming), and all the endless stream of lies him and his henchmen showered you with, you have to be a morron to defend him on Iraq, and I don't know what you have to be to believe his new set of lies, this time on Iran. I can tell you this. Iraq was defenseless, and still, so far we have lost over 4000 soldiers and almost one trillion dollars and it keeps on going. Iran, on the other hand, is 4 times bigger, 4 times more populous, a lot more mountainous and harder to attack and far more capable of defending itself. Years of pointless war in Iraq and Afghanistan has made us weary. In fact, for 60 years since WWII we have been getting ourselves into all sorts of wars and attacking other countries. Korea, Lebanon, Central America, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Iraq I, Somalia, Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq again... A miscalculation about Iran could finally bring down our war-wary empire. Don't get me wrong. There is no military that can come close to withstanding the greatness of our military. In fact, the only one who can bring us down is our arrogance. If you look at history, all great empires went down because they overstretched themselves. Our economy can't take more wars, and neither can the psyche of our population, regardless of how many more lies this administration spews.

  • Posted By: hifromthesky @ 10/23/2007 1:31:32 AM

    Comment: Posted By: deric d Comment: "Is Iran intent on developing a nuclear weapon? Yes. Will it use it itself? No. Will it pass it on to a suicidal terrorist proxy? A very good chance. Will this terrorist detonate the device? Who knows? Could the terrorist hold a city or nation to ransom? Yes. In a nutshell can we trust Iran and its proxies if it possesses nuclear capability? No. So what do we do? You tell me."

    But what will be the difference if we will replace Iran to Pakistan in your comments.
    In fact there is much more danger that tomorrow Taliban which is sourcing from multiple adrasahes will overthrow Musharaf and will capture the bomb. In fact this is US which just presented nuclear weapon to Pakistan. So if to be reasonable, what makes Pakistan better than Iran? I can tell, only the fact that Pakistan at least right now has pro-American government and withstands to India in the region. And Iran withstands to Israel. You???re going to fight for Israel interests. Jews can go celebrate; they turn US into their soldier. This is all the politic of double standards. And the rest is just propaganda, to invent a new threat and to make Americans so scare for they would be ready to go to war. Looks like the fact, that you didn???t found any nuclear weapon in Iraq and that now everybody know that this was a lie, didn???t teach Americans to anything.

  • Posted By: dadfg @ 10/22/2007 8:23:14 PM

    Comment: do it become the new king 4et america

  • Posted By: dadfg @ 10/22/2007 8:22:37 PM

    Comment: become hitler man do it 4 real do it 4 us become the king know hahahahha

  • Posted By: bingogringo @ 10/22/2007 7:48:05 PM

    Comment: Where is it written that Iran MUST fire a missle into Israel?
    Why not use a smaller device delivered into Tel Aviv and avoid the ARrow Missle defense.
    They would still get a retaliation...but they would have leveled Tel Aviv.
    I wish it were as easy as Fareed implies.
    Fareed must also realize,...FEAR is real. You can't merely tell someone their fears are unfounded. We can't expect Israel or others to relinquish their fears, just because there is some analysis that finds Iran unable to attack. FEAR is real to those who feel it.

    • Posted By: TheVigil @ 07/04/2008 01:34:08

      Comment: Bullshit. The emotion is defensible; letting it control you is not. Fear never justifies war or murder if it's unilateral.

  • Posted By: bingogringo @ 10/22/2007 7:43:15 PM

    Comment: Where is it written that Iran MUST fire a missle with a warehead????
    A few well placed devices could be strategically set off and Tel Aviv would be gone, yet the West Bank and Gaza would probably be spared.

  • Posted By: mikesorensen @ 10/22/2007 7:18:35 PM

    Comment: The results of years of diplomacy with Iran are zero. According to the President of Iran (Ahmadinejad), that country will never abandon or modify its nuclear program. He insists that no amount of diplomacy will affect a change in Iran.

  • Posted By: Azim @ 10/22/2007 2:09:51 PM

    Comment: How true it is that how little we know about the country call Iran? Perhaps not much because we have given up on that country about 30 years ago as the article so eloquently describes. It is that hysteria or hyperbola what ever you might want to call about the whole thing of Iran's Nuclear activity. If it can comply with the IAEA or the Internatioanal Atomic Energy and does not violate the pricipal or protocol of the use of nuclear energy, give them that opportunity to do that. If iran does not comply and use the Nuclear issue into military use than we can take tough statnce against it.

    Mr. Fareed is right that a country who's economy is about the size of Finland and it's economy is 68% less than that of the United States, it's defence budget is 110% less than us and how can we even eqate Iran to be powerful entity in the world?
    We know that it can be a destabilizing force in the region but whatever reason it is we must look to diplomatic posture employed in working out the differences with iran. Perhaps, we could pursue them not to produce enrich uranium for the production of Nuclear meterial by the diplomatic means not confrontation.

    If we could do that, may be there will be some turn around with the situation in iraq. I am not implying that we have to give up our ideals in doing so. See, it is not possible that Iran is capable of inflicting a wider war like as mentioned by the president of the United States. How are they calculating these assumption is beyond imagination. I guess, it is the same posture thatt they had taken with the war in Iraq and it wouldn't surprise us that they are capable of fearing the public with rhetoric. Again, lets apply that sort leadership that can help bridge the gap of trust and work for a peaceful resolution in that region.

  • Posted By: kwright661 @ 10/22/2007 2:03:53 PM

    Comment: It is simple, really. The administration is talking about Iran so they don't have to talk about Iraq. They talked about Iraq so they didn't have to talk about bin Laden. Politics at the expense of our brave soldiers.

  • Posted By: wilsan @ 10/22/2007 12:45:58 PM

    Comment:

  • Posted By: wilsan @ 10/22/2007 12:41:41 PM

    Comment: Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: mikesorensen @ 10/22/2007 11:40:28 AM

    Comment: If Iran is so powerless and ineffective, why not just disable the nuclear facilities at Natanz? The precedents set by Osirak and the recent action against Syrian nuclear facilities suggest that is a relatively painless option. It would probably result in fewer deaths than Iran is responsible for in Iraq. Only a truly reckless country would risk a war over such and action.

  • Posted By: deric d @ 10/22/2007 10:26:42 AM

    Comment: Is Iran intent on developing a nuclear weapon? Yes. Will it use it itself? No. Will it pass it on to a suicidal terrorist proxy? A very good chance. Will this terrorist detonate the device? Who knows? Could the terrorist hold a city or nation to ransom? Yes. In a nutshell can we trust Iran and its proxies if it possesses nuclear capability? No. So what do we do? You tell me. Zakaria is using this very serious international issue as a means of attacking conservatives. This is a narrow minded and dangerous mind set. Iran with nuclear weapons is a threat regardless of the size of its economy or conventional military capability relative to the US.

  • Posted By: grasmere10 @ 10/22/2007 9:31:42 AM

    Comment: How interesting that the anti-neocons would rather allow mass incineration of Iran after a nuclear strike than a modest preventive measure that would be lethal only to a few Revolutionary Guards. If they are serious, than they contemplate a mass holocaust of innocents. If they are not serious, then they contemplate the incineration of the world's remaining Jews - plus a few million innocent Palestinian Arabs (so much for the rationality of the Iranian leadership). This is the kind of thinking that lead to World War II, when scores of millions were killed, rather than a re-occupation of the Ruhr and meaningful sanctions against Italy in 1936.

  • Posted By: hifromthesky @ 10/22/2007 6:50:53 AM

    Comment: Neocons are choosing the war till the end, till the last Muslim on middle east and prepare the attack to Iran. But here Bush is playing to stake everything. Because there will be no way back from Iran. To pull troops out of there will not be possible as Iran in revenge will cut oil supply from that region at all, so America will stay almost without import oil, and Iran probably will hit Israel. If US will step into Iran (US have to step there, because in a case of air strike Iran will cross the border and will engage with US troops in Iraq) they just have to win.

    But neocons do not understand that instead of one Iraq even if they will destroy Iranian army they will get one more Iraq but much more furious. And where they will get money to keep one more Iraq is unknown. Because the market of war, which came instead of market of internet technology, is eating money fast. Fortunately US owns currency typing machine, so world is full of dollars,