[QUOTE=ralph124c]
I’m puzzled-Ahmadedinejad keeps spouting his bellicose talk, about driving Israel out..yet, he has little or NO power. I accept that the real men who run iran are NOT crazy-they understand all too well, what might befall them, should they pick a fight with the USA. But why the bellicose speeches from the President?
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Most likely a means of distracting people from domestic problems, and a means of provoking America. We aren’t in a position to conquer them, and I’m sure the Iranian government would love a Bush bombing campaign. Then they can blame everything that’s wrong in Iran on America and make it stick, and cripple the reformers, AND make us look bad, all at the same time.
[QUOTE=marshmallow]
You’re taking the background of Little Nemo’s counter-factual aside a little too seriously, but it could be very possible his nukes could come online in the interim between 1988 (the end of the Iran-Iraq war) and the invasion of Kuwait (1990) just for the purpose of the hypothetical. I very much doubt he’d keep them a secret at all. Even if he tried, we’d know about them anyway.
OK, so the U.S. massively bombs Iraq. Then Saddam Hussein gets on the radio and says “Stop, or Israel won’t exist tomorrow.” I mean hey, what does he have to lose? He’s a cornered animal in this situation. I think that might cause more domestic problems for our gung-ho President, “the man who lost Israel.” With the Cold War as a backdrop, I’d think the American people would understand that nuclear weapons in the enemy’s hands reduces your options.
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We need the “Secret” descriptor for the weapons or else Israel takes them out with extreme prejudice, consequences be damned.
So the world makes Saddam Hussein world dictator for life? Because no one will think of the children? Odds are if Saddam makes the threat you state Iraq has a new dictator within the hour. Even if risking the eradication of Iraq for his own personal glory were within Saddam’s desires, everyone else in the chain of command might prefer they and their families remain alive. Iraq’s bluff had been called once, to go all in with the pathetic hand Iraq holds is suicidal.
Losing Israel would not be much worse, if any, to trusting patriot missiles and hoping for the best. (from a US domestic political process). Actual Appeasement!!! Blank check for all future conquests!
Not all nuclear arsenals are equal. Everything you say about it affecting our freedom of action works even moreso against Saddam. For Saddam, it’s all about Saddam (if it weren’t he wouldn’t precisely the same threat). The US has a whole slew of different priorities that come into play.