Stabilizing Iran
Bob Schlidgen
 The U.S. Navy just wound up a major show of force not far from Iran's coast, one that featured 15 ships, 125 aircraft, and 13,000 sailors.
Not to worry about starting another war, though, our military leaders have assured us. They haven't got the slightest intention to illegally attack another country, destroy its industry and infrastructure, and kill hundreds of thousands of people, but only to keep the place safe.
The maneuvers were meant to show "the commitment of the U.S. to stability and security in the region," Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, commander of Strike Group Three told the Washington Post. Obviously, we've done such a marvelous job of stabilizing and securing the region that these extra measures should make it even more stable and secure today.
"Defensive in nature," is how Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown described these maneuvers to the Post, saying that they were intended to keep open the sea lanes that carry two-fifths of the world's oil shipments.
"We're not looking for any kind of confrontation with Iran," Brown said. "The purpose of the exercise is to ensure that no one miscalculates about our commitment to security and stability in the Gulf."
One hopes this is true. But to say "Ensure that no one miscalculates" might ring truer if the president of the United States and the U.S. Congress hadn't already miscalculated. The region is already far less stable that it was before the U.S. got involved, before Colin Powell and Dick Cheney and George Bush lied to the entire world, claiming that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and because it had those weapons an attack was necessary for the stability of the area.
LettersUse the form below to post a response to this article
Send a Letter to the Editor
|
