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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (152171)	11/20/2004 8:16:33 PM
From: Sun Tzu	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

When did you talk to Rafsanjani about it?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (152171)	11/20/2004 8:26:37 PM
From: Michael Watkins	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I'm well aware of Rafsanjani past comments. On the other end of the scale, recently he suggested that Muslims, Jews and Christians just all live together in "Palestine" and that international peace keeping be put in place. Certainly semi-original - perhaps he's been reading Tom Clancy lately - but unlikely to ever get support from any of the three groups. Why is it so hard for you and some others here to understand that these people wear pants (figuratively speaking) just like the rest of us do? Their crap stinks, just like ours. Rafsanjani is a politician and a hardliner at that. If you believe it serves Israeli purpose to jack up the rhetoric, threaten Iran and generally give people like Rafsanjani the support he needs, then keep it up. Economics rule. Iran bombing Israel doesn't work, economically speaking. For one, Israel will retaliate with its 100-200 nuclear weapons (US govt estimate) and Iran will be obliterated. That's a rather large disincentive. For another, they can't sell their energy to the Chinese and others if the country is a smoking wasteland. As I said, Rafsanjani is a politician. I guess its too difficult for you to see through your hate and fear that politicians all over the world always exploit the current mood of the public. With the US taking an extremely hard-line, some would say a dangerously provocative angle, on Iran lately, its the equally extreme politicians in Iran that will enjoy popular support - not the moderates. We've already seen the moderates being pushed around some in Iran. Bellicose noises coming from us are helping to make that possible. If destabilizing moderate support in Iran is what you (and folks like Wolfowitz) want, then its working.