tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1232112655035482837.post5929267321351856879..comments2024-02-11T00:20:16.619-08:00Comments on Robin Chapman News: Speak Softly and Move Like a TigerRobin Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503563386747084298noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1232112655035482837.post-46697959915069064292009-10-03T10:17:17.134-07:002009-10-03T10:17:17.134-07:00How do you deter a liar? How do you threaten a na...How do you deter a liar? How do you threaten a nation willing to martyr its people (though I suspect somehow its leaders will make sure they are not so martyred. We learned with Hitler that negotiating and weakness provoke a megalomaniac far more than does the use of force. I don't know. That's why being President of the U.S. is such a scary job.Robin Chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10503563386747084298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1232112655035482837.post-28932296865876389872009-10-03T01:34:55.028-07:002009-10-03T01:34:55.028-07:00The day after I read your comments about Mahmoud A...The day after I read your comments about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's meeting with President Mevedev, I caught CNN's interview with the President. He confirmed the meeting, but was careful not to verify the topic(s). Russia has a stake in a stable southern arc. Its business interests are great (going back to the pre-Soviet era), but I would not want to sit in Moscow and have to choose a course of action should Israel preemptively strike Iran. Iran's facilities are underground, so no surgical airstrike is going to solve the problem. The Iranians have the knowledge, and that cannot be wiped clean regardless of the number of bombs dropped. The clerical leadership has been described as not fearing, rather embracing death, so the threat of retaliation after a strike against Israel or US targets may be of no deterrent value. It's been written often that the fear of Mutual Assured Destruction is what kept the Soviets and the US from eliminating each other (despite close calls in '62, '73 and '83). With Iran, no such hope exists. Thanks for keeping your ear to the rail.Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10328407227617592536noreply@blogger.com