Gates prefers sanctions to diplomacy for Iran

[bigtree]

3 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday that Iran was more likely to heed sanctions than diplomacy in US efforts to dismantle its nuclear drive.

Apparently contradicting President Barack Obama's diplomatic overtures to Iran, Gates said on "Fox News Sunday": "I think frankly from my perspective the opportunity for success is probably more in economic sanctions in both places (Iran and North Korea) than it is in diplomacy."

"Diplomacy perhaps if there is enough economic pressure placed on Iran, diplomacy can provide them an open door through which they can walk if they choose to change their policies," the Pentagon chief said.

"And so I think the two go hand in hand, but I think what gets them to the table is economic sanctions."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i_EI0u67-t0bamzWQ3ZZ24tE5yoQ

[madrchsod]

1. sanctions are an act of war

[LynnTheDem]

2. Yeah coz we have such a great history with sanctions.

:eyes:


The definition of insanity; doing the same shit over & over again while expecting a different result.

Maybe it's (beyond) time the world sanctioned America.

[Metta]

3. He's part of the problem why things are as they are. It seems Obama doesn't want much change

or change too soon, whatever that is. Who benefits from all of this saber rattling besides hawks?

[Idealism]

4. Gates is unequivocally wrong.

We have had sanctions on Iran since Islamic Revolution in 1979 and it hasn't changed jack shit. They have huge oil reserves, they grow much of their own food, and Russia will freely trade anything (including nuclear technology and armaments) with them. Sanctions don't work when you have US companies still doing business with Iranian corporations. Sanctions don't work when they can have anything they want shipped through Dubai and rerouted to Tehran (with a little interest tacked on). If sanctions worked, 20 years after we initiated them on Iran, why are they still a moderately wealthy society? Its estimated that 20% of Iranians are drug addicts-- that is NOT the sign of an impoverished nation.

Sanctions have not worked. They will not work unless you sanctions Russia, China, UAE, Bahrain, Venezuela, Qatar, Germany, etc. which will NEVER happen. This is militant stupidity on Gates' part.

[CaliLiberal]

5. Iran doesn't seem to care about sanctions

There isn't really anything we can take from them

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. "...if they change their policies." While our policy to provoke them remains the same.

:banghead:

[Djinn]

7. When the US gives up

not only it's nuclear arsenal but also stops exporting weapons (including the 'of mass destruction' ones) torture implements and torture techniques to murderous thugs then maybe they'd have a little more moral elbow room on this.

The rest of the world (with the exception of the Israeli ruling class) just rolls it's eyes when America bangs on about Iran's supposed nukes program.

Iran shares a border with two countries currently occupied by a third nation which has consistently slandered and threatened them ever since they had the gall to turf out the Shah and is, incidently, the only nation on earth to have ever used nukes offensively.

It has been repeatedly threatened with 'annihilation' by another neighbour. Frankly if they're NOT arming themselves they're friggin nuts.

[LWolf]

8. He's wrong.

imo, of course.