Back in the Eisenhower days, there was an American statesman named John Foster Dulles (photo below) who preached the doctrine of brinkmanship. In a Life Magazine article, Dulles defined his policy of brinkmanship as: “The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war.” He called brinkmanship “the necessary art.”
In those days, only America and the Soviet Union had “The Bomb,” so international relations were simple. If Communist Russia A-Bombed America (or vice versa) the response would be equally annihilating. It was called “assured mutual destruction,” and it kept the world on edge but at peace for a generation.
Now, several countries, big and small, have The Bomb, and several other countries that don’t have it are doing their best to get it. If you stopped to think about the situation, you could get goose bumps. Imagine Pakistan having a nuclear bomb. Pakistan! I can’t think of a more unstable regime, or people who hate Americans more. And, from what I’ve read, the Pakistanis have passed on nuclear secrets to other regimes that appear to have a reckless disregard for the continued existence of the civilized world.
So which of the wannabe countries is America in a sweat about? Iran. America used to be hot and bothered about North Korea, but apparently Kim Jong-il turned out to be a pussycat after all. George W. looked into his eyes and saw his soul, I suppose. (I look into the little jerk’s eyes – below – and see mushroom clouds, but who am I to judge?)
But it’s Iran that has America in a dither. I sense that somewhere behind the scenes powerful interests devoted to the protection of Israel may be stoking this fire, but I have no evidence of this. It seems quite obvious, however, that Israel and the Bush administration are in cahoots in the current Iran war games.
Meanwhile, Iranian tough-guy Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is doing his part to keep the pot boiling.
I hope this is just an example of born-again brinkmanship, that the various political leaders are advancing hidden agendas by scaring us half to death.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if Israel (which has The Bomb) decides to blow up suspected Iranian “nuclear targets.” Iran would immediately respond, and President Bush would intervene “to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and protect the flow of the world’s oil.”
What’s behind these scary maneuvers?
Could it be a diabolical plan to get John McCain elected in November? Could the Republican leaders be so desperate that they would abandon brinkmanship and opt for wholesale carnage just to remain in power?
I wouldn’t put it past them. After all, anyone who can read the tea leaves must see that only a catastrophe of this magnitude would give the Republicans a chance of winning the next election.
