What should we do THIS time?

[Ramius75]

Yes, it will be pretty sad if Iran got nuke, but i think its inevitable. Coz they have much to gain from acquiring nuke. but little incentive not too.

Every country is a free country, just like when we respect each and every human being. Iran got their rights to be nuclear equipped. Make no mistake about it. But the best way is to encourage them not too.

This is to be acheive in many different lvl, politically and financially + in some way militarily. Countries in the past had dropped developing nukes, not becoz they cant, but they decided not to. So kudos to Australia, Brazil, Japan and many many more. But like what i mentioned in another post. What will the "west" do if Iran refused to trade oil. Will this lead to an invasion ? If the answer is Yes, then they have every right to be nuclear arms to protect their soverignty. Should they be scare ? probably yes, with nutcase in the Whitehouse like Bush when he could Invade Iraq and got away with it.

So the solution is actually lies with the problem itself. The american have to give up their hardline talk to Iran and learn to respect them and talk fair. There are no other way.

p/s: but the USA might want to push the situation harder, escalating the crisis, Good business for the weapon industry. And create more supply and demand so they they can sell more weapons.

 

[amadeus]

Bomb the reactor sites, any suspected underground sites, government buildings, infrastructure, and military assets. Blockade the oil terminals in the Gulf and put the squeeze on Iran.

 

[skadistic]

Skadistic, I need you on record clarifying that you believe invading Iraq and Afghanistan deterred Libya and will continue to deter other countries.

Are you saying President Moammar Gaddafi gave up his WMDs and balistic missles because he was a nice guy? Or was because after getting caught importing nuke suplies (part of the A.Q. Kahn network) band becoming a giant blip on the radar that he figured disarming by choice is better then being disarmed by force and givining up power?

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Not much the US could do on its own, unfortunately. Attacking Iran in any way, shape, or form will simply trigger a war, which we'd be wholly incapable of waging. Such a war would involve the Iran-Iraq border region as theater. Given the US's tenuous occupation of anarchic Iraq, I suspect it will go in Iran's favor.

Wholly incapable? Hardly. The United States military has more capability than you know.

US Navy
There is what, one carrier in the Persian Gulf? We have thirteen carriers. 13 carriersx 85 aircraft per carrier = 1105 immdiately capable aircraft. Plus land based craft.
DDG, CG, SSN, SSBN: all carry Surface to Surface and Surface to Air Missles by the hundreds.

US Marine Corps
One of five Anphibious Assualt Ships in the Gulf
178,000 Marines

US Army
499,000 active duty
700,000 Reserve troops ready to be called up

US Air Force
9,000 aircraft
352,000 active duty

And every one of those men, women, and equipment are of the the best and most capable in the world.
Oh yes, we have every capability to pound Iran into the ground

 

[Tycoon101]

Wholly incapable? Hardly. The United States military has more capability than you know.

US Navy
There is what, one carrier in the Persian Gulf? We have thirteen carriers. 13 carriersx 85 aircraft per carrier = 1105 immdiately capable aircraft. Plus land based craft.
DDG, CG, SSN, SSBN: all carry Surface to Surface and Surface to Air Missles by the hundreds.

US Marine Corps
One of five Anphibious Assualt Ships in the Gulf
178,000 Marines

US Army
499,000 active duty
700,000 Reserve troops ready to be called up

US Air Force
9,000 aircraft
352,000 active duty

And every one of those men, women, and equipment are of the the best and most capable in the world.
Oh yes, we have every capability to pound Iran into the ground

Plus the nuclear weaponry, we can't forget that. Why waste any American lives in Iran? By using a small enough nuke we can devastate Iran without touching any of the surrounding countries. And we keep thousands of Americans out of potential danger.

Why be afraid to use nuclear weaponry? We have them for a reason: To kill anyone who threatens America. What good are they doing just sitting around in an American compound?

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Plus the nuclear weaponry, we can't forget that. Why waste any American lives in Iran? By using a small enough nuke we can devastate Iran without touching any of the surrounding countries. And we keep thousands of Americans out of potential danger.

Why be afraid to use nuclear weaponry? We have them for a reason: To kill anyone who threatens America. What good are they doing just sitting around in an American compound?

I'm not a fan of being public enemy number one. If we need them, they're there, but that's a last resort, not a first. It kinda goes against our whole...thing... of course I can't remember the word.

 

[JohnRM]

Plus the nuclear weaponry, we can't forget that. Why waste any American lives in Iran? By using a small enough nuke we can devastate Iran without touching any of the surrounding countries. And we keep thousands of Americans out of potential danger.

Why be afraid to use nuclear weaponry? We have them for a reason: To kill anyone who threatens America. What good are they doing just sitting around in an American compound?

Okay, I am an American hardliner and even I cannot agree to using nuclear weapons in this case. There are just so many reasons why we cannot do that, among them being setting the precedent for others to use them, the irony of nuking someone to prevent them from getting nukes cause you're afraid that they will use them, and the reaction from American citizens.

 

[CaptainF]

An invasion of Iran would be just about the dumbest thing ever.

George Bush, as well as his whole administration, would be better off putting guns between their lips, because their careers would be finished.

 

[Dragonlord]

Plus the nuclear weaponry, we can't forget that. Why waste any American lives in Iran? By using a small enough nuke we can devastate Iran without touching any of the surrounding countries. And we keep thousands of Americans out of potential danger.

Why be afraid to use nuclear weaponry? We have them for a reason: To kill anyone who threatens America. What good are they doing just sitting around in an American compound?

How paranoid can you get?!?
How is Iran's aquiring nuclear weapons a direct threat to America, of an order that would justify killing thousands or millions of Iranian civilians? Do they have intercontinental missiles too, dude? And have they stated they're going to nuke New York?
Thankfully, I see even the other hardliners won't go this far...

 

[Millman]

We will do what we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!

Really, the Adminstration couldn't wait any longer and they had to be the ones to declare war instead of high general with experience. Shows how valuable winning the war is these days.

 

[Tee Kay]

Iran wants nuke plant for electricity? Let them.

Sanctions will not work against a committed, determined leader like Amadinajad. It will only hurts the civilian population.
I see any direct US intervention as of present as reckless.
Any use of nuclear weaponry or other WMDs (including bombs such as MOAB)constitutes a crime against humanity.

 

[silver 2039]

A better question is what CAN we do. Realistically speaking the US cannot politically afford a war at this point, any airstrikes by either Israel or Lebanon would result in retaliation against American and Israeli assets in that area, sanctions by the UN would be blocked by China and Russia. Don't think that you can just bomb Iran and be done with it because you can't if you bomb Iran you will have a war on your hands wether you like it or not, and the American people nor its leadership have the guts for a war at this time.

So what I think will happen is that Iran will get nuclear power and weapons and whatever and the world will do nothing and it will have to deal with it the same way it deals with North Korea's nukes, and Pakistan's nukes.

 

[C~G]

Why be afraid to use nuclear weaponry? We have them for a reason: To kill anyone who threatens America. What good are they doing just sitting around in an American compound?

That is the WMD quote of the year.

Someone should go out and have some fresh air once in a while.

 

[El_Machinae]

I think the US should do nothing but tighten their belts and stop their massive (demand side) support for the price of oil.

Iran's attempt to build nuclear power plants are well within the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Building nuclear weapons would violate that treaty. Currently, there are a great deal of UN manhours being spent monitoring the Iranians, and they will continue to do so with the powerplants online.

Sanctions will help slow Iran's building of a nuclear weapon (IF they intend to do so), but lowering the price of oil will do more - it will slow their income the most effectively.

There is a fatwa against the building of nuclear weapons; does anyone have any history of major fatwas being overturned by the people who pronounced them (or their legitimate successors)? If there is evidence that important fatwas can be overturned, I will change my mind about whether Iran might even be building a weapon.

 

[Che Guava]

I have a feeling that if Iran does manage to build nuclear weapons, and the world finds out, they'll soften thier tone. Once you join the nuclear club, the rules tend to change...

 

[Tee Kay]

I have a feeling that if Iran does manage to build nuclear weapons, and the world finds out, they'll soften thier tone. Once you join the nuclear club, the rules tend to change...

Well they'll HAVE to soften their tone then. They wouldn't want an armed Iranian nuke heading their way, would they?

 

[nc-1701]

We can't do anything attacking Iran would be suicide. Iran+nukes=no more Isreal in 20 years. So its Damned if we do Damned if we don't. We better hope diplomacy works.

 

[Rossiya]

On some days I feel that America should just keep its nose out of it, but on other days, like today, I think that America should just go in with the guns blazing.

 

[Nobody]

Amagin china openly says "we intend to take back Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. Now China has already take back two of these, so it isnt just saber ratling but real policy. Next China build up its vastly surperior military right next to taiwan, points its nukes and other missles are taiwan and often threatens to destroy taiwan. China has a different system and openly intends to change taiwans by force if nessacary. Would you say Taiwan has the right to aquire nuclear weapons?

Clearly Taiwan can beat china by conventional forces, does it make sense for taiwan to aquire nukes, everyone knows if taiwan nukes china then china would turn taiwan into a "radioactive smear on the surface of the Earth." But maybe taiwanese nuclear weapons could be used as a detirant, to show china if it come against taiwan sure they can kill us but they will lose two or three million people trying? What if china and all its buddys order the taiwan to destroy its nukes, would you? China has the biggest army in the world siting across a small water border with nuclear weapons pointed right at taipei, would you get rid of your one weapon that might give the chinese pause?

In the situation i spoke of above would you think taiwan should be allowed to develop nuclear weapons?

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

Wholly incapable? Hardly. The United States military has more capability than you know.

US Navy
There is what, one carrier in the Persian Gulf? We have thirteen carriers. 13 carriersx 85 aircraft per carrier = 1105 immdiately capable aircraft. Plus land based craft.
DDG, CG, SSN, SSBN: all carry Surface to Surface and Surface to Air Missles by the hundreds.

US Marine Corps
One of five Anphibious Assualt Ships in the Gulf
178,000 Marines

US Army
499,000 active duty
700,000 Reserve troops ready to be called up

US Air Force
9,000 aircraft
352,000 active duty

And every one of those men, women, and equipment are of the the best and most capable in the world.
Oh yes, we have every capability to pound Iran into the ground

Those are nothing but a bunch of numbers to me. If the US attacks Iran, it will not be a pushover like Iraq.