georgephillip
Diamond Member
Perhaps some of you are old enough to remember the reactions of US and Asian conservatives when Dick and Henry reached out to Mao. While it's still too early to tell how Obama's phone call to Rouhani will play out, yet another war in the Middle East appears to have been shelved for at least six months.
Eugene Robinson @ Truthdig:
"Critics complain that the agreement recognizes Irans right to enrich uranium, if only in low concentrations that are useless for bomb-making. In fact, the Geneva accord is deliberately ambiguous on this issue.
"But it should be clear by now that sanctions, however draconian, will never halt Irans enrichment program. In 2006, when the first U.N. sanctions were applied, Iran had at most 3,000 functioning centrifuges that produced enriched uranium at a concentration of just 3.5 percent.
"Now Iran has at least 18,000 centrifuges and is able to enrich uranium to the level of 20 percentwhich is nine-tenths of the way toward making fuel for a bomb.
"Under the Geneva pact, half of Irans 20 percent uranium will be diluted and no more will be produced.
"A military strike that eliminated half of the potential fuel for a 'breakout' bomband wiped out the capability to make morewould surely be reckoned a success.
"It is just plain dumb to attack Kerry and Obama for achieving the same thing without firing a shot."
IMHO, this agreement came about primarily because US conservatives hate Obama more than they love war; however, even if I'm right, that doesn't mean the world isn't a more peaceful place today than it was a month ago.
Eugene Robinson @ Truthdig:
"Critics complain that the agreement recognizes Irans right to enrich uranium, if only in low concentrations that are useless for bomb-making. In fact, the Geneva accord is deliberately ambiguous on this issue.
"But it should be clear by now that sanctions, however draconian, will never halt Irans enrichment program. In 2006, when the first U.N. sanctions were applied, Iran had at most 3,000 functioning centrifuges that produced enriched uranium at a concentration of just 3.5 percent.
"Now Iran has at least 18,000 centrifuges and is able to enrich uranium to the level of 20 percentwhich is nine-tenths of the way toward making fuel for a bomb.
"Under the Geneva pact, half of Irans 20 percent uranium will be diluted and no more will be produced.
"A military strike that eliminated half of the potential fuel for a 'breakout' bomband wiped out the capability to make morewould surely be reckoned a success.
"It is just plain dumb to attack Kerry and Obama for achieving the same thing without firing a shot."
IMHO, this agreement came about primarily because US conservatives hate Obama more than they love war; however, even if I'm right, that doesn't mean the world isn't a more peaceful place today than it was a month ago.
