Threatening war with Iran.
Charles Krauthammer thinks Anthony Cordesman has the right idea for dealing with Iran:
â??There are times when the best way to prevent war is to clearly communicate that it is possible,â? he argues. Today, the threat of a U.S. attack is not taken seriously. Not by the region. Not by Iran. Not by the Israelis, who therefore increasingly feel forced to act before Israelâ??s more limited munitions â?? far less powerful and effective than those in the U.S. arsenal â?? can no longer penetrate Iranâ??s ever-hardening facilities.
This is a common refrain among analysts - that only a credible threat of war has any chance of making Iran change course. The basic problem, though, is that for the threat to be genuinely credible the U.S. has to be ready to follow through on it. It's a policy that backs both countries - the U.S. and Iran - into a corner. Iran submits or the U.S. starts another war in the Middle East.
To endorse the threat of war against Iran is to endorse the real thing.
