Iran Refuses to Call President Obama’s Bluff

Last week President Obama finally displayed a more shrewd side when he publicly stood with Israel in denouncing Iran’s fierce intent to obtain a nuclear weapon. Iran, Israel’s most importunate enemy has not wavered in its attempt to develop a weapon and is closer now than it’s ever been, after enduring a couple of setbacks. A couple of years ago the Unites States began to investigate accusations Iran was trying to enrich uranium, which is normally used to develop nuclear weapons. However, Iran was quick to condemn anyone who stated they sought such materials for the purpose to create a weapon.  This massive coincidence along with the current President of Iran’s blatant hatred for the people of Israel has the United States & Israel concerned now more than ever. With the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressing time and time again he has no interest in the survival of the small Jewish state, the level of urgency has been amplified to resolve this matter. In 2009 during a meeting at the United Nations he insisted the holocaust was just a story and not an actual event.

Last week, President Obama made headlines when he told Iran to call his bluff on the statements while attending a conference. “When I say we are not taking any option off the table I mean it. That means a political component, economic, diplomatic, and military component. As president of the United States, I don’t bluff we’ve got Israel’s back.”  These words revealed a more impatient Obama who has been trying for months to avoid an all out war. Iran reacted  earlier today announcing  they were willing to resume talks with the western world in hopes of being released from hard-pressed sanctions from Europe and the United States. Iran has been a point of contention for the last couple of months due to the unnerving possibility that they may acquire a nuclear weapon within the next couple of years. In a meeting on Monday, President Obama assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu America would not shy away from it’s commitment to the Jewish state, all while asking the Prime Minister to hold off on action to implement a preemptive strike – this is when a military action which is designed to neutralize a potential threat or gain instinct advantage against an enemy is launched with hopes that the enemy will be deterred.

With the latest developments in Iran, I guess we will all have to wait and see if former President George W. Bush was right in labeling Iran one of the four “Axis of Evil.” With this latest attempt by Iran to resume the talks they abandon so long ago and evade further isolation by the international community, we hope such a severe crisis can be avoided in a world where war has become more prevalent and devastating and catastrophic to all who are involved. President Obama should be commended for his willingness to deal with Iran from a diplomatic position as oppose to a military one, in hopes of avoiding an all out war. With the latest developments being seen as a win, we can now applaud his diplomacy approach. Consequently, several republican leaders, including the 2008 Republican presidential nominee and current Senator John McCain along with Senate Republican Minority leader Mitch McConnell are pushing for the use of force in this very pivotal stage of the process. With so many countries fighting internals wars and several countries on the verge of an all out collapse, war should be avoided at all cost. Hopefully diplomacy will finally have its time to shine and peace will prevail, for now anyway!

 

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