WWIII

A couple of links for you on the ongoing conflict escalations in Iran and Pakistan.

From the New York Times: Iran blames American's

From the Financial Times: Pakistan's escalation


Personally, I always thought we would need to be more concerned with the Chinese and Pakistanis fighting over Kashmir, instead now we need to be extremely concerned with a rouge nation attempting to obtain nuclear weapons getting into an armed conflict with an already unstable but established nuclear power.

Starting with the first article from the New York Times, what else would we expect. Since the statement from the Iranian government that claims they have documents linking both American and Pakistani involvement to the terrorist attacks that killed several high ranking Iranian military officials was aired on a STATE RUN newscast, how are we to know if this accusation is true? The American, British and Pakistani governments have all come out to deny this, and the Islamic extremist group Jundallah has claimed responsibility. While the American and British governments are capable of such an act, the likelihood that they were in slim. All of the facts point to a false claim by the Iranian government, but can we blame them for this. At a time when there is a full scale war about to erupt in neighboring Pakistan, and global pressure spearheaded by the United States to cease and desist in its quest for a nuclear arsenal, the full support of the Iranian people in their government is crucial. The rally around the flag anomaly that creates a massive wave of support for the government after an attack should be played out in full by the Iranian government. Given the already negative view of the United States in Iran, who else better to try to pin it on. The United States has done the same thing in the past. After 9/11, Bush's approval ratings soared due to a rallying around the flag. Using that tremendous support of the American public the invasion of Afghanistan was pushed through. Similarly, after the attack on Pearl Harbor sparking United States involvement in the WWII, the public support for war with both Japan and Germany was astoundingly high. The major difference between the United States and Iran? We don't lie about our intentions. (Open to interpretation). Propaganda was a tool of the Soviets, and it appears that it is a tool of Iran. (See previous post to see if the Soviets are making a comeback.)

The reality of this situation is if it is not contained quickly, an escalation of massive proportions could occur, and American involvement in Iran might not just be necessary, but rather intervention in Iran and Pakistan to preserve global order. (Looking at you China and Russia for some help here.)

Bush Third Term