There seems to be the terrifying prospect of Israel and/or the West engaging in another war in the Middle East before the year is out. The 'window' apparently is the
summer or just after the US election. When the British government
gets hawkish, you know you're in trouble. William Hague, the UK Foreign Secretary is waffling on about a new 'cold war' today, while
the Guardian reports Obama insiders saying "the US will be left
with no option but to launch an attack on Iran or watch Israel do
so", surely a case of the tail wagging the dog if ever there was
one.
Personally, I don't see that one
sovereign state trying to develop weapons that other sovereign states
already have can ever be a provocation for war, however much we might
wish they don't have them. You can only argue that it is
'provocation' if you believe that Iran is somehow less of a state
than the rest of us, and that we have a say in its internal affairs
... and that has a million uncomfortable implications. But that's not
an argument you'll see coming even from progressives.
Finally, as with Iraq, I don't believe
that Iran is much of a threat to anyone, except its own people ... a
judgement this article seems to support.
