Most Dangerous Man in the World?

[howardroark]

What prompts this recitation of what our world was like 50 years ago is the latest cover story in The Weekly Standard, "The Most Dangerous Man in the World."

The cover photo is of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's "man with a mission," who is said to be seeking an atom bomb and who "loathes the United States more than Stalin, Mao, Tojo and Hitler combined." If this "supreme leader gets nuclear weapons, it will be a miracle if he does not stupidly lead his country into war."

Thrust of the 5,000-word article: Be afraid. Be very afraid of this man.

But what exactly are we to fear? And what is the imperative for war now on Iran, for which this piece beats the drum?

Khamenei has declared that nuclear weapons are immoral and Iran will never acquire them. Is Islamic Iran's supreme religious leader lying through his teeth? Where is the proof? Where is the hard evidence?

Sixteen U.S. intelligence agencies stated unanimously in 2007 and reaffirmed in 2011 their conviction that Iran does not have an active nuclear weapons program. In the Standard piece, John Sawyer, head of the British Intelligence Service MI-6, "flatly stated in July that we have two years left before the Iranians can build a weapon."

And if we should fear this most dangerous man in the world, why do not the Iraqis, Turks, Azerbaijanis and Pakistanis, his neighbors, seem to fear him? The Paks, with scores of nukes, seem less nervous about Iran than democratic India, with whom they have fought several wars.

Before now it has been Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who was the incarnation of Hitler. But Ahmadinejad's eight years in office are up next summer, and he is reportedly going back to teaching.

For all his bellicosity, how many wars did Ahmadinejad fight?

When was the last time Iran started any war?

Read more: http://lewrockwell.com/buchanan/buchanan258.html

[a_ahmed]

Awesome article. I don't care much about Iran, but I would still stand up to defend them against the lies that are being spread in our western media just as i stood up against the bs lies of the 'wmd' of iraq... The empty warhead and smoking gun is george w bush. Now when will this moron be prosecuted for war crimes? Never... he gets away with it, he even dodged shoes destined for him.

Yet a million people dead later... the lies continue... its sad and sickening...

[240 is Back]

For all his bellicosity, how many wars did Ahmadinejad fight?

When was the last time Iran started any war?

Good questions - I dont know the answer - Do you guys?

[syntaxmachine]

Iran isn't a conventional military threat, if a threat at all.

The problem is, it's rather hard to tell just how sincere the religious leadership is in its belief in the doctrine of the 12th Imam. The doctrine calls for violence and chaos which will in turn presage the return of a historical Shi'ite religious figure to secure worldwide peace. To the extent that it is believed, the leadership (which really controls the country, not Ahmadinejad) is liable to see a silver lining in an escalation of violence in the Middle East, or perhaps even in the use of a nuclear device.

So, the question is, how should the West behave given the difficulty of ascribing beliefs to the Iranian leadership? Personally, I think Iran has rationally promoted its survival thus far and is unlikely to become suicidal once it gets breakout capacity. They won't use a device or let terrorists get a hold of it, nor will they ever close the Strait of Hormuz (all of which would be suicidal to the regime).