By Yuval Hananya
Politics. You gotta love it, right? The dirty deals, the secrecy, the deception – it’s the heart and soul of our political system. It’s exactly how this Iran Deal became what it is. I do not and will not pretend to have all of the answers. Many people who I have spoken to simply throw their hands in the air and say “whatever”, or, “any deal is a good deal” – but it’s not that simple. We are not negotiating with reasonable people. I do not have all of the answers, but this deal is not a good one.
I am opposed to this deal with Iran. See, while the deal is necessary, a deal in which they hold all the cards is not. We negotiated from a position of weakness as opposed to strength. Remember, Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. They are the same country that held hostage sixty-six American diplomats for well over a year in 1979. They are the same country that yells death to America in the streets today. They call for the destruction of Israel – America’s closest ally and the only Democracy in the Middle East. The sanctions work. They serve their purpose to hurt the Iranian economy and punish them for bankrolling terrorism in the Middle East, terrorism that effects everyone, not just Israel, and not just the United State. And for that reason they need this deal more than we do. They are crippled. They seem to believe they are calling all of the shots. As the June 30th deadline approached, Iran continues to make demands of America, such as an immediate suspension of sanctions.
And there are still many questions left unanswered with this deal. Many of the issues arise when you delve into the details of the deal. For example, how exactly does Iran intend on going about reducing its stockpile of low-enriched Uranium, the key material in developing a bomb? Furthermore, Iran will continue its research and development on centrifuges. While Iran will “not” be getting a bomb (supposedly), it’s getting much, much more through the lifting of $anctions.
The Obama Administration and John Kerry are making a last ditch effort on foreign policy through this deal. Let’s call it “saving face” for all the other ways the world has fallen apart under their leadership (Russia, Syria, etc.). In doing so, they have thrown our allies under the bus. Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt all share the same views on the deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed both houses of Congress urging both parties to realize the true nature of the Iranian government, and that the deal could be better. He spoke to the notion that America and Iran share a common enemy, ISIS, by clarifying that while the enemy is common, the goal is not. Iran is simply competing with ISIS over who will be the ruler of the Islamic empire each individually seeks to create. In this scenario, he explains, “the enemy of your enemy is your enemy.” While in theory the deal is a good thing, we all know that when one party sponsors terrorism and calls for the destruction of other nations, well, you know where this one’s going. Other things that are good in theory but tend to not actually work out: communism – see?
From the beginning of his second term in 2013, Barack Obama and his administration have publicly and repeatedly stated that the estimated breakout time for an Iranian Nuclear Weapon was a year. We now know that the real breakout time – at most three months – was kept a secret. Why? Because what better way to convince the American people a deal is necessary than to create a sense of urgency. The State Department is also unwilling to rule out the potential $50B “signing-bonus” Iran would get upon completion of the deal.
I wonder if there is something the Iranians aren’t getting in this deal. I also wonder how grateful Hillary Clinton is to be as far away from this mess as possible, but I don’t care to email her to find out. Well, I hope it all works out for Neville Chamberlain Barack Obama.