(03-30-2015 03:37 PM)vandiver49 Wrote: (03-30-2015 02:53 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote: Our national interests are not aligned with the group that wishes to keep Iran out in the geo-political cold.
Iran is doing that all on their own. It's going to be hard to walk back from their state sponsored terrorism and proxy land acquisitions.
Actually look it from the Iranian perspective at the various pressure points. Not to defend Iran, but just look at how it might look to a nation that prides itself as the champion of Shia Islam. Here are the flash points from the likely IRANIAN point of view.
1) Iraq - Shia government in majority Shia nation under violent attack by Sunni extremists. There's a lot more to it than that, but that's how Iran is likely to view it first.
2) Syria - Same as Iraq, only difference is that Syria's government wasn't Shiite, but wasn't Sunni either.
3) Lebanon - Shiites are the largest group in Lebanon. They've were excluded from the elite until Iran's proxy army got involved.
4) The Gulf States - Shiites form a majority in many of these states but are discriminated against heavily by Sunni monarchies.
5) Saudi Arabia - Shiites are heavily discriminated against. Lots of very bad blood between them. Iranians blame Saudi policies for much of the anti-Shiite actions in the region.
6) Yemen - Shiite versus Sunni again.
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Here is where Iran operates outside of a Sunni - Shia framework.
1) Hamas - Iran has provided material support for Hamas. There's no defense of it from any significant geopolitical perspective. Perhaps Iranian action is simply to destabilize the Sunni majority PLO or prevent Gaza from becoming Saudi client state.
All the other stuff appears to be quite marginal and basically looking to undercut The Saudis and/or the Gulf States.
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That whole region appears to me to be less of a Arab versus Israel than a Saudi Sunni versus Iranian Shia battleground. It is both. But its really a proxy war based upon religion. No point in tying ourselves down with one side IMHO.
Neither is our ally. Neither is going to stop looking for a nuclear bomb as a result of our action or inaction.