This latest fracas with Iran is a crisis nobody wants. Not the US, which is absolutely fatigued with the Middle East, and has less need for the region now that its domestic energy industry is booming. Not Iran, which, despite its bluff, is playing a weak hand and surely knows it. Its military is outmatched, its economy is on the ropes, and it has no powerful friends in its corner to share some of the heat. Its actions come from a place of desperation, not strength. And not the rest of the world, much of which still depends too heavily on Middle Eastern oil and gas. There's no need to explain the possible impact of a sustained Middle Eastern crisis on a global economy that is already looking fragile.
@Craig Swanson Well-said, as I see it. Iran desperately needs to sell it's oil; U.S. buys none, now, I believe. U.S. has become within only the past decade or so, awash in oil of it's own; we even sell it now! The rebound economically, here, since ~ 2008, is just about phenomenal. Such as it is, this provides ample "fodder" for the doomsday prophets: we should expect a huge "crash" soon. But, why? Economies swing like the pendulum do, everyone acts to see it through. Little to do with the Tower of London or the face of Big Ben. Frank
That's what makes it so dangerous. A person (Country) backed into a corner will sometimes do barbarous things out of desperation.
Wouldn't it be a bigger crisis to allow Iran to continue with their quest for nuclear ability? The end result of that would be armageddon in magnitude. They are far too unstable politically. I may be wrong, but that seems like a really scary aspect. Anything to stop it or hinder it....is essential.
I listened to Mike Pompeo (Secretary of State) speak on the Iran crisis and Trump's decision not to strike Iran when the drone was taken down. Although he didn't say it directly, he implied that He (Pompeo) persuaded Trump not to take action. He said in the interview that there was a trap involved set up by the Iranians. They expected an attack on the sites from which the missiles launched. He did not go into details regarding the decision or what the trap involved, but apparently we dodged a big one through the astute advice of Mr. Pompeo.
I read that the trap was actually set by the executive office in order to find out who would warn Iran. The president pretty much admitted to that end and pointed in the direction of Schumer and Pelosi who denied having any information about a strike. Pelosi even furthered her denial by stating that D. Trump cannot initiate a strike on Iran without a congressional approval which is true in most cases but not all,.....but I digress. The trap having been sprung by whichever person or persons was enough for D.Trump to order the stand down and initiate an investigation. Now, with that in mind, if Iran was not made aware of an ordered strike, would the president still have ordered the stand down? He already warned the country leaders that if they persisted in their pursuit of American and Israel devastation, in the end, there would be nothing left of Iran [especially it’s oil fields.]
Why do nations have nuclear weapons in the first place? Yes as a deterrent..you say. But does not having them scare the bejus out of the global population that a nuclear war would destroy mankind as we know it. It is akin to watching a wick burn toward a barrel of gunpowder. Also is it not a touch hypocritical when one nation with nukes (US, Britain, France etc) threatens another from gaining them (Iran and Nth Korea). I say mothball all nukes and surely this problem will go away. Am I being too naive?
I do genuinely like your thought process but yes, it is a bit too hopeful that such a thing could or would occur.