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> Jay wrote:
>
> I've thought for a long time the U.S. and or Israel would attack Iran
> and have been proven wrong so far.



My comment: Well I am in the same boat. I have though been influenced lately
by Castro's remarks though it may be that his analysis has a domestic
dimension as well.

I do not think however that wars happen accidentally.  The recent shooting
on the Lebanese border shows that.  The Israelis could have used the excuse
of the casualty to invade if they wanted. But it may be that as the Angry
Arab has been arguing, Israel does not want another war on its Northern
frontier.

An attack though on Iran is something different.  Hizbullah can empty the
north of Israel with its rockets.  I do not think Iran can inflict a similar
level of interruption. There does seem to be a genuinely strong section of
opinion in the States and in Israel itself that the Israel monopoly of
nuclear arms must be maintained at all costs.

It is here that I was unconvinced by Abedin's analysis.  His I thought was
the worst possible scenario approach. But of course I am not a military
expert and do not and do not want access to the necessary information.  I
just have  gut feeling that this would be another confrontation between the
Pentagon and a Third World army.

Though of course the medium to long term consequences would be disastrous in
terms of the destruction on all sides.  It is also possible that the worst
aspects of a US-Iran war would be the end of cooperation between Iran and
the US over Afghanistan if that has not already ceased and the weakening of
the position of America's Shia allies in Iraq.

Moreover in real terms what we have learned over the last 5 years or so is
that any war in the Middle East increases the world wide opposition to US &
Israel


comradely


Gary
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