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another concern, funding of terrorism

Reader comment on item: Forget Syria, Target Iran

Submitted by Richard Stoecker (United States), Sep 25, 2013 at 10:23

If we targeted Iran with a nuclear strike, we should know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Iran had nuclear weapons and planned to use them against either Israel, the U.S. or both, and sources disagree about how close Iran really is to developing and using such weapons. But Iran has been a concern to the U.S. for another reason: I have heard that Iran funds more terrorism than any other government. The complication here is that even among Arab governments more or less allied to the U.S., some within those governments have also aided terrorists. The new president of Iran may well turn out to be different from the previous in one in style more than in substance, but I don't think President Obama can be faulted for wanting to talk to him; in the worst moments of the Cold War high-level discussions were held between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union.

President Nixon met with Mao even though Mao was so extreme he preferred Stalin to Krushchev because he thought Krushchev was too conciliatory toward America, about whom Mao had little to say of a friendly nature, to say the least. Conflicts between the west and radical Islam cannot, unfortunately, offer us the hope we had during the Cold War, when we were dealing with people who, however unreasonable, were not willing to kill themselves to kill us. If only a drop of oil had never been discovered in Saudi Arabia: that is where so much of the power of radical Islam comes from.

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Reader comments (39) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Iran is not threat to anyone [107 words]JawadJan 13, 2014 14:34212645
Iran is not the only nuclear concern [281 words]AlexandrosSep 27, 2013 07:04210076
another concern, funding of terrorism [258 words]Richard StoeckerSep 25, 2013 10:23210037
Where were Sadam's WMD's? [62 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
James BonifieldSep 17, 2013 02:46209804
TARGETING IRAN: The Head Of The Snake [31 words]Adina Kutnicki, IsraelSep 13, 2013 14:52209723
1Who is he ?… [14 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
BudelbergerSep 13, 2013 11:23209717
Syria already expired [189 words]Farhad LahafdooziSep 12, 2013 20:13209673
2Why Iran? [101 words]DarioSep 11, 2013 23:36209653
Yes, we lost the sense of priorities [245 words]JACQUES HADIDASep 11, 2013 16:52209633
Why limit options? [95 words]David W. LincolnSep 11, 2013 15:26209632
4Maaloula and Delga and Islam and Jizya in the year 2013 is still alive and well [126 words]dhimmi no moreSep 11, 2013 10:20209622
Forget Syria - Target Doha, Riyadh and Ankara [61 words]Young MCSep 16, 2013 09:59209622
The message Obama should have given in his speech tonight [76 words]NuritGSep 11, 2013 02:30209586
Take Washington back [134 words]NuritGSep 10, 2013 16:47209567
Turkey teeters? [40 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Dan SchnittkerSep 10, 2013 15:12209565
The voice of reason [4 words]donvanSep 10, 2013 12:23209563
Two for the price of one [142 words]Wallace J. SchwamSep 10, 2013 11:29209560
Right on [114 words]Irma RochlinSep 10, 2013 09:19209558
Russo-Syrian lies a replay of 2006 Lebanon cease fire? [157 words]Brian LuedkeSep 10, 2013 08:58209557
what is the real thing? [30 words]julia mendozaSep 10, 2013 08:38209556
Dear Dr. Pipes [230 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Debanjan BanerjeeSep 10, 2013 02:38209554
Iran's New Years Greetings [63 words]Jules PostenSep 11, 2013 12:44209554
The World is Entering Its Place on the ME Stage [192 words]M ToveySep 20, 2013 12:13209554
1Obama is a chicken [314 words]NuritGSep 10, 2013 02:05209552
The true reasons of the war in Syria! [210 words]Gregoris GregoriouSep 9, 2013 22:40209545
1Our friends [63 words]dhimmi no moreSep 11, 2013 17:15209545
deterrent credibility [165 words]mythSep 9, 2013 15:10209539
Iran/Syria [88 words]Jules PostenSep 9, 2013 12:28209533
predictable [14 words]Peter, ScotlandSep 9, 2013 12:21209532
Thank you [35 words]Doug MayfieldSep 9, 2013 11:46209531
He makes a desert and calls it peace. [151 words]EthanPSep 9, 2013 11:33209530
Option 3 [125 words]mzunguSep 9, 2013 10:45209527
2IRAN IS THE ISSUE [104 words]john w. mcginleySep 9, 2013 09:46209525
A Pleasant Surprise! [173 words]AlexSep 9, 2013 09:33209524
Force Assad to give up his WMD [25 words]Ike MuzSep 9, 2013 09:07209522
Assad first then Iran (Hezbullah collapses alone) [151 words]Sameer BaitamouniSep 9, 2013 09:04209521
Forget Syria, Target Iran. [206 words]AnneSep 9, 2013 08:55209520
1Iran is the real red line [124 words]Michael Hanni MorcosSep 9, 2013 08:35209519
Smoke screen served by the US administration [105 words]SHmuel HaLeviSep 9, 2013 07:48209518

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