Iran Welcomes Unprecedented Obama Message ++ BBC Deconstructs It
Washington's neocons have been hit by a Friday morning stunner,
While they were sleeping, President Obama sent a video message to Iran, telling them that he is abandoning the confrontational approach of the previous administration.
And now Iran has responded, positively but cautiously.
It's going to be a busy day for the warhawks. This looks very very bad (for them).
Here is the BBC deconstruction.
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William Kristol: "Rats, foiled again!
March 20, 2009 9:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
MJ wrote: "While they were sleeping, President Obama sent a video message to Iran"
Kristol: "What do you mean I was sleeping? I was awake and playing in my sofa cushion fort with my G.I. Barbies".
March 20, 2009 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
News,
heh heh heh,
I heard he was arguing with Fred Kagen over who gets to be the goodies and who has to be the baddies.
March 20, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
What a shitty day to be a neocon!
And you know what? It looks like Obama really can do more than one thing at the same time!
March 20, 2009 9:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is a hopeful sign. Let's see if there is any real follow through on both sides.
Or will Obama do his usual two-steps? give red meat to the realists followed by red meat to the war-hawks, or vice versa.
Oh! I'm a vegetarian.
March 20, 2009 9:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
And heads explode in the neocon think tanks!
March 20, 2009 10:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
And shit completely hits the fan in Israel!
Take THAT Avigdor Lieberman with your new Foreign Ministry portfolio! (although I note that Bibi had to get a two week extension to try and form his government).
MJ: What are your sources saying as to how this going down over there? Apparently, Shimon Peres had his own little New Year's greeting for Tehran (see: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1237461631803&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)
March 20, 2009 10:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is remarkable in and of itself, but will be a sea change if followed up by action (yes, removing sanctions would be a good start). The problem is that it makes it more difficult for Israel to "enemize" (okay, not a word and nothing to do with a medical procedure) not only Iran but those it supports. Is this Obama's way of signaling Israel, with its endless chatter about not-if-but-when to attack Iran, "Oh no, you're not..."?
March 20, 2009 1:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is remarkable in and of itself, but will be a sea change if followed up by action.
Yes, it's very hopeful. Relations with Iran can be, and certainly should be improved, and that will make the Israeli more cautious, I hope.
Of course in Israel, those who have the biggest stake in the country's survival and success are the most politically marginalised, and those who would continue Israel's suicidal course are those who have the easiest and most attractive "outs" from the ensuing tragedy.
March 20, 2009 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, marginalized like much of the country was here for eight years by leaders shouting, “Boo!” We’ve just seen how Hamas’ little David can be annihilated by Israel’s military Goliath (with the U.S. as the real muscle behind it). Israel needs Iran to play the muscle behind the Arab groups it wants to dominate. How can Hezbollah, much less tiny Hamas, be an “existential threat” to Israel if not backed by Iran?
March 20, 2009 3:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Of course in Israel, those who have the biggest stake in the country's survival and success are the most politically marginalised, and those who would continue Israel's suicidal course are those who have the easiest and most attractive "outs" from the ensuing tragedy."
What are you talking about?
March 20, 2009 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry for not getting back sooner, Armchair (I hope we're on a first-name basis).
It seems to me that Arab Jews in Israel, and many other ethnic Jews in Israel will have a much harder time finding alternative places to go if Israel becomes an undisireable place to be. Isralis who have close ties either to the US or Europe and are affluent can afford to take many more chances, they have an out.
And those are the people we here from in the US.
March 21, 2009 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just saw this... Of course, you can actually call me by my real first name, Josh.
I don't have any hard stats, but my impression (purely anecdotal) is that the more affluent Israelis with ties to the West are more likely to favor a policy of engagement and territorial compromise with the Palestinians. The ones who would continue the present, you-say-suicidal/I-say-self-defeating, course are the less affluent, the Sephardic, the Russian immigrants and the ultra-orthodox, most of whom have fewer "outs."
But that's just my impression.
March 22, 2009 10:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama's trying the only thing that can possibly begin nudging Israeli politics back toward the center and sanity again, after so many years of its paranoid ratcheting of fear and violence, and that is to deflate the fear about an Iranian bomb, as well as dissuade Iran's possible desire and ability to move toward constructing one.
I, for one, am desperately hoping it works.
March 20, 2009 3:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think it signals the return of adults in the White House, but it isn't without its problems, either. Obama is directing his diplomacy towards the theocracy of Iran by addressing them as the Islamic Republic of Iran. That leaves the population out cold, once again.
While it's important to address the nuclear ambitions of Iran's leadership, it is also important to many Persians for Obama to recognize that the leadership of Iran is not necessarily the people of Iran.
He should have addressed Iran and not "The Islamic Republic of Iran". It illustrates that the Iranian lobby comprised of current cleric-friendly diplomats is still writing the influence, much to the disappointment of the Iranian people as a whole.
March 20, 2009 6:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
"...is still writing the influence, ...???"
Pardon my rushed syntax!
The cleric-friendly Iranian lobby is still influencing foreign policy, much to the disappointment of the Iranian people as a whole.
There...that's a little better.
March 20, 2009 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Was the Israeli message coordinated with Obama's? Was this a bit of a good cop bad cop coordinated attempt?
March 20, 2009 6:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's not get too excited yet. Khamenei certainly is not.
Obama, according to Khamenei, just extended sanctions dating back to the past administration in the last month. Television diplomacy will only get us so far with Iran, or anyone in that region who has suffered whenever their interests have collided with ours.
Iran will be a nuclear state. It could be next year, it could be a decade from now - but it will happen unless we decide to destroy all of Iran's cities in an unprovoked strike. We might as well begin bargaining with them, in anticipation of a time where we won't be able to push them all that hard.
March 21, 2009 10:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've not heard the "lobby chorus" yet.
Could it be they know they broke cover going after Chas Freeman and are exercising, dare I say it: "restraint?"
March 21, 2009 10:24 PM | Reply | Permalink