Ahmadinejad's Millions Of Iranian Martyrs

[Kulturkampf]

Sow hat do you make of the greater Iran issue, Kev?

[KevinTheOmnivore]

I write a lot on this for work, so I can't really bring myself to type about it anymore. But I think we need to be concerned about Iran, we should continue to isolate this regime economically and maintain all options against them.

That being said, a popular Iranian dissident recently noted that no Persian has ever strapped a bomb to his or herself and taken the life of an innocent. Much like in Lebanon, there are cultural dichotomies that tug the nation between radicalism and modernity, and we mustn't jump at the opportunity to collectively punish the people of Iran. They are a great country, rich in a diverse history, albeit an often bloody and sad one.

We shouldn't be in the business of changing the regime in Tehran (or Qom, realistically). Iranians will eventually do what's best for Iranians, but from an international realist perspective, this should not be our priority.

We are a primarily reacttive country. We don't engage in policy in the Middle East so much as we respond to it. We must assume that the Iran we're dealing with is the same irrational, radical and totalitarian regime we've delt with since 1979. We must isolate them, we must prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon and we must check a potential Iranian hegemon in the region upon our departure from Iraq.