Tag: Nuke Deal

What Would A NK-US Agreement Look Like

Are we still pissed at North Korea?

The subject has seen little air time in the last week or so….so what is up with the Korean Peninsula?

The rhetoric between the US and NK has gone to the limits without much action….but what does all this bravado signify?

North Korea once again captured the world’s attention when it boldly warned that it is ready to fire missiles over Japan toward the U.S. territory of Guam. The unusually specific and unacceptable North Korean declaration rattled governments in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington. But Pyongyang’s real target is not Guam, but to ensure it remains at the centre of the conversation. In this it has been significantly aided and abetted by U.S. President Donald Trump, who took with gusto to the unwise practice of trading direct threats with the Kim Jong-un regime.

Source: Decoding the Korean Peninsula Missile Rhetoric | Crisis Group

As a person that has studied Conflict management and resolution I always like to see it when someone puts forth an idea for a settlement of a conflict that does not involve the use of force.

I recently read a piece in Geopolitical Futures that covers what a possible agreement between US-NK may look like…..

It’s a toss-up whether the United States and North Korea will sue for peace or opt for war. Still, there appears to be interest on both sides in easing tensions. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has even intimated a possibility for direct talks. Informal talks have taken place for the past few months, of course, but these would have clearer imperatives: that Pyongyang not fire missiles at Guam and that the United States reduce the amount of military exercises it holds with South Korea. But is it even possible to reach a settlement on the terms they want?

The U.S. demand is easy to state but difficult to implement. It wants North Korea to reverse course on its nuclear weapons program. Merely halting the progress Pyongyang has already made would enable North Korea to resume development at a later date. In fact, earlier agreements fell apart because they neglected to include such a provision, and so the North Koreans were able to pick up exactly where they left off. Hence the current crisis.

Source: What a Korean Agreement May Look Like – Geopolitics | Geopolitical Futures

I think that diplomacy should always be any first step when dealing with a conflict that could go from bad to worse in a flash.

Dammit! Iran!

Back in the Dark Ages, the Obama Years, there was a nuke deal that was signed by the world and Iran…a deal which if they stuck to it would eliminate some sanctions and lessen others…..

Then Trump came to the pinnacle of power and his little commie toady, Flynn (before he was caught in a lie and forced to resign) made a statement that the Trump admin was putting Iran on notice.

Notice for what few are sure of….but they were put there anyway.

While grousing about what a “bad deal” they believe it was, Trump Administration officials accused Iran of having violated “the spirit” of the deal, offering absolutely no details on what that even means, or how the administration,which has repeatedly gone on record as not liking the deal in the first place, interprets that spirit.

Then a couple of days ago word came down about Iran and the deal that they signed…..

Facing a deadline of Monday, President Trump is going to have to re-certify to Congress that Iran is totally complying with its obligations under the P5+1 deal, which effectively delays his expected effort to force a “renegotiation,” an idea that no other party of the treaty seems at all interested in.

The fact that Iran is complying with the deal is no surprise, of course, as the IAEA issues monthly reports to that effect anyhow. Still, it wasn’t a slam dunk that the administration was going to tell the truth, and there was speculation that they might withhold the re-certification.

(antiwar.com)

Trump is not happy about having to certify that Iran is in compliance with the deal….

It’s a problematic position, but mostly boils down to the Trump Administration being keen to have some excuse to “rip up” the nuclear deal as they’d long threatened to do, and being incredibly annoyed at the fact that they don’t have a pretext to do so.

This has officials publicly admitting that Iran is complying with the deal, and threatening new sanctions against them anyhow, because that compliance “won’t go unpunished.” This is a confusing position that’s likely to be a problem for the other P5+1 members, who already see the US, and not Iran as the weak link in the deal.

(antiwar.com)

Why would anyone be disappointed in the fact that Iran is in compliance….unless they are looking for an excuse to do something stupid.

Iran is still “one of the most dangerous threats to US interests and to regional stability,” one senior administration official told reporters Monday, per Reuters, detailing all of the ways in which the country remains problematic. Those issues include Iran’s enabling of terrorism in Syria and its continued development of ballistic missiles, which, in combination with other issues, leaves Iran “unquestionably in default of the spirit of the [deal]” signed by the US, the EU, France, Britain, Russia, China, and Germany. The White House plans to handle this, per the official, by tightening the agreement (and then enforcing its mandates), and taking on “the totality of Iran’s malign behavior” beyond the nuclear deal, which could include new sanctions, per CNN. Trump aides tell the Times the president is “frustrated” and won’t keep recertifying compliance if Iran doesn’t get its act together.

Sounds like someone wants to go to war and nothing Iran does will prevent it from happening……is this the new “norm” for American foreign policy?

A better question would be…..who is the true enemy we should fret over?

It is one of the great ironies that the United States, a land mass protected by two broad oceans while also benefitting from the world’s largest economy and most powerful military, persists in viewing itself as a potential victim, vulnerable and surrounded by enemies. In reality, there are only two significant potential threats to the U.S. The first consists of the only two non-friendly countries – Russia and China – that have nuclear weapons and delivery systems that could hit the North American continent and the second is the somewhat more amorphous danger represented by international terrorism.

Source: Who Is the Real Enemy? – The Unz Review

Personally, I think he, Trump, is looking in the wrong direction for the “enemy”.

Give ‘Em Cash

I have heard all the GOP candidates go on and on about all this cash, taxpayer money, that the US will be giving Iran now that we have a nuke deal.  Have you?

I have been silent on this because it is all so ridiculous that I thought, erroneously, that the American people would be a little smarter than to buy a handful of billsh*t.

As usual I give the public too much credit.

So let me break it down for those with lesser minds……

As the 2016 election season gets into full swing in the US, the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran is becoming a focus, and with it the oft-repeated myth of the US having “given Iran $150 billion” as part of the deal, a claim often repeated by hawks looking to see the deal killed.

The reality is that the money and other assets belonged to Iran in the first place, and all that really happened under the nuclear deal was their unfreezing, allowing Iran to transfer the money to different banks, and spend it on infrastructure upgrades.

In the wake of the deal’s implementation, Iran moved a portion of the assets back into Iranian banks, in an effort to shore up their foreign currency reserves and curb the country’s previously excessive inflation. Most of the money remains in Western banks, however, because it’s easier to pay Western companies for their goods and services that way.

The notion, repeated by many but championed by Donald Trump in particular in recent days, is that this was somehow American money to begin with. It never was, and was never going to be, and the current situation is the default, allowing a foreign country to spend its own money, with no US interference.

(antiwar.com)

Let me put it simply, in case that above explanation was too deep.

It is THEIR money that we froze in American banks in 1979.

One more time!  It is Their money NOT TAXPAYER MONEY!

Anyone telling you that is taxpayer money is…..LYING!

Any questions?

US Hawks Ignore Top Israeli Official on Iran

The Hawks in the GOP for the 2016 election are still thumping their chest about how they will go about killing the Iran nuke deal…..regardless of what anyone says are the benefits…they are opposed….well it does make good political fodder for their campaigns….but is any of it really true….I mean all the visuals they give the voting public?

Neoconservatives and other right-wing pro-Israel hawks have ignored the fact that some (current) officials from Israel’s security establishment never viewed Iran—even armed with a nuclear bomb—as an existential threat. They have instead taken whatever Netanyahu says as articles of faith, faithfully repeating his talking points across any number of media and platforms. Of course, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.

Source: US Hawks Ignore Top Israeli Official on Iran « LobeLog

These politicians are dangerous and will lead the US into a situation that will be our eventual downfall (my personal opinion)……..

In Case You Are Not Sure

There is so much crap being fed to the American people during this election cycle…..and most of it has to do with Iran…..all the chest thumping by mentally challenged primates is not telling the whole truth….but then they are paid by another country to NOT tell the truth…… just do as they are told……

The Iran nuke deal that was all the news a few months ago has once again made the news and at the same time has GOP candidates spreading their manure like good field workers they are……

In case you have not been exposed to the facts of the deal then let me enlighten you a wee bit…..

Of course some will not trust the report……they are paid and paid well to dispute the findings……

What’s Next For AIPAC?

Now that the Iranian nuke deal is facing all the challenges that can possibly be found by those whores in Congress at the behest of their Sugar Daddy, AIPAC…….games on top of games will be played by those wanting to kill the deal and move to a more aggressive footing….neocons will not go quietly into the night…..they must do as they are told.

After the announcement of the deal AIPAC went batcrap crazy throwing money at those in Congress that could kill the deal…..hoping to head off the deal at the proverbial pass….they crapped out hard.  The deal will go through……is it possible that AIPAC has lost its pull?

Source: AIPAC Spent Millions of Dollars to Defeat the Iran Deal. Instead, It May Have Destroyed Itself. | The Nation

Yep, AIPAC is licking its wounds but believe me when I say that they are far from finished with their opposition to the deal.

Source: Next Hurdle for Iran Deal: AIPAC’s Plan B (Endorsed by Post) « LobeLog

Never count the GOP out…..they will play games for as long as it takes…..and they are good at it……once they lick their wounds they will be back and verbal as ever……

Implementing the Iran Nuclear Agreement

Since I refuse to post on the Pope and his visit….I think I will resurrect a subject from the recent past……the Iran Nuke Deal!

Last month the big “end of days” scenario was the Iran nuke deal…..this month it is refugees and the dude in the white robe….what it will be next month is just tiring imagining the prospects….but let us talk about that damn deal that so many are having a stroke over…..at least last month.

President Obama has a win on the foreign policy front…..he negotiated a nuke deal with Iran and he won a veto proof vote count and in the later days he got the filibuster proof vote count….I guess some will say that he has his win-win scenario……

But do not count the Repubs out….they will find a way to cause trouble for the deal ….I mean they have to….Israel has paid good money to them for their opposition and they, Israel, will expect some form of progress for the cash……

Do not count on them rolling over…..they tried to sue over Obamacare…..why not try the same tactic for the nuke deal?

My point is that it is an election year and the GOP needs all the friends it can muster…..the opposition to the deal may be far from over….

But let us say that all goes well with the nuke deal….next will come the implementation of the deal……and how will we accomplish that?

As attention turns to implementing the Iran nuclear agreement, questions remain regarding future inspections, Iran’s legacy technical capacity, and what the United States should do to ensure Iran stays off the nuclear path.

Source: Implementing the Iran Nuclear Agreement | Center for American Progress

Once the agreement is a done deal there will be setbacks……and there will be antics and games played before and during the implementation…..

Source: Now Comes the Hard Part on Iran « LobeLog

I know that many hate the word diplomacy…….but if we can control nukes without going to another protracted war then I say……why not?

Let The Debate Begin!

This week the Congress returns from its month off to raise more funds for their present and future campaigns……high on the agenda is the Iranian nuke deal and the debate should prove interesting…..if not damn right pathetic.

You see two high ranking Dems have come out in opposition to the deal……New Jersey’s Menendez and New York’s Schumer…,.and of course every Repub in Congress is behind the opposition….I mean what would you expect from the pack of neo cons?

In the beginning of the debate I expected Schumer to do his thing in opposition…I mean he owes a lot to the cash of Israel and besides he is a “liberal” neo con who pretends to be otherwise.  But his ideas on the Middle East have always been a bit whacky……(Read more)…..

Source: Schumer’s Troubling Mideast Record | Consortiumnews

All that said there is another toad that will do what it takes to try and defeat the deal…..that toad is the freshman Senator from Arkansas, Tom Cotton……the neo cons poster child for endless war……

Since the deal was announced he has been the loudest opponent which in turn has gotten him all sorts of notoriety that he would otherwise not have….and once the media gave him a free reign he has not shut up in his opposition…..(read more about his holy crusade against the deal)……

Source: Tom Cotton’s endless war: What his ongoing crusade against the Iran deal says about the GOP – Salon.com

All in all Israel and its paid agents in Congress will pull out no stops in opposition to the deal and will try every trick they have to assure its defeat……

But wait!  All their antics and tactics and rhetoric may be for naught…..

President Obama was “on the brink” of wrapping up the Iran nuclear deal after Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and Chris Coons threw their support his way, the Wall Street Journal reports. Now Maryland’s Barbara Mikulski has given her thumbs-up, giving the president the magic number of 34 senators he needs to block a Senate override of his expected veto if the GOP tries to push through a resolution disapproving of the deal next week. “No deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime,” Mikulski said in a statement, per Roll Call. “[But] I have concluded that this Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb. … However, Congress must also reaffirm our commitment to the safety and security of Israel.”

Two Democrats in the Senate have sided with their GOP counterparts against the deal, while 10 haven’t said where they stand yet, Bloomberg notes. To filibuster the Republican resolution and keep a veto completely out of the picture, a total of 41 senators is needed, and now supporters of Obama’s Iran deal are optimistic they can reach that number, too, the New York Times reports. Coons said yesterday it would be “a very close call” to acquire those 41 votes, adding that conversations he’s had with all of the undecideds gave him no clear picture on whether they’d vote yea or nay, per Bloomberg.

This saga may sound like a happy ending for Obama but do not count the influence of Israel out for a minute……and do not think for a minute that the neo cons will roll over and accept defeat.

While I was writing this post word about the deal came out……..

The Iran nuclear deal appears good to go following announcements of support from three Democratic senators today in what the Hill is calling an “impressive lobbying win” for President Obama and the White House. Those three senators bring the total votes for the deal to 41 in the Senate, meaning Republicans don’t have the numbers to pass a resolution against it. All 54 Senate Republicans were joined by four Democrats—including a West Virginia senator who officially sided with them today—in supporting a resolution to stop the deal, CNN reports. It would have likely been a moot point, anyway, as Obama already had the votes to veto any resolution passed against his deal. Floor debate on the deal begins today.

While today’s announcements were supportive, they weren’t necessarily ringing endorsements of Obama’s plan. “Despite my serious concerns with this agreement, I have unfortunately become convinced that we are faced with no viable alternative,” one of the three senators, Gary Peters of Michigan, tells the Hill. “While this is not the agreement I would have accepted at the negotiating table, it is better than no deal at all,” another of the senators, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, tells CNN. The three senators made their announcements on the same day Dick Cheney called the Iran nuclear deal “madness.” Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are expected to headline a rally against it tomorrow.

Let’s say the neocons lose their fight (which it appears they will)…..is there a plan B?  Of course there is!

Source: AIPAC’s Plan B? « LobeLog

It will be fascinating to watch this play out…….tactics and the rhetoric ought to be EPIC!

Let The Fun Begin!

As always—-TURN THE PAGE!

Bribing Bibi and his Proxies to Behave – The Unz Review

The upcoming debate on the Iran Deal is going to be a complete theater outing…..Israel, who opposes the deal will be offered massive aid in an effort to bribe them into some sort of agreement on the deal……

After the effort and the cash that Israel has gone through to fund the opposition to the deal….will it be enough to keep them quiet on the inevitable outcome of the vote?

Source: Bribing Bibi and his Proxies to Behave – The Unz Review

To answer my own question….NOTHING we do will be enough to keep Israel and its nose out of the deal…..in other words the US will waste time, money and resources trying to placate Israel just to fail after all the shouting is done……

Why waste the time on them anyway?  Especially when the outcome is so damn predictable.

Update:  News has come up that Obama got his 34th Senator on his side……they, Obama Admin, is claiming victory…..but as I have said….do not count them out yet!

How the AP Got the Iran Inspections Story Wrong

Last week the blog-osphere went batcrap crazy because of a AP report that Iran would be doing self-inspections of the nuke facilities…..bloggers lost their minds and accused everyone from Obama to a 2nd grade school teacher for this outrage.

I posted that it was a lie…..few believed what I wrote and even fewer would check out the sources that I gave them on the Iranian deal so they could read the deal for themselves…..

Although that report was a flash in the pan and the media and bloggers have moved on….simply because they could not get more hate or use of the story…….

But I am still trying to get people to read the information out there…..I am afraid that lies are believed we will once again be invading a country that does not need to be done so…..

Am I alone?  Or do Americans truly want to be the next “imperialistic” power?

 

How the AP Got the Iran Inspections Story Wrong.