different lessons from the cold war

Submitted by myth (Germany), Jan 10, 2013 at 21:08

I have different memories from the cold war from which I learn different lessons. Most important, by all means destroy the Iranian nuclear installations. A nuclear armed Iran would actually turn the conflict into a cold war, an exercise of patience with most of the US' conventional arsenal reduced to passivity.

The contribution of diplomacy to the disintegration of the Soviet Union is small. The empire crumbled not so much in its center which was Russia. Resistance in the eastern european satellite states broke it. Why was that? The people in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the (now) Baltic states and certainly East Germany had been western minded. By means of tv, tourists the population enjoyed a clear vision that the West was more desirable. I recommend connecting to the Iranian people direct. That is by mass media and internet communications. 2013 there is no need to go through diplomatic channels.

I compare Iran rather to Poland than to Russia. The Iranians I know are pro-Western civiilzed people and they do not identify with their Arab neighbors at all. They are very much like Poles who have been quite western all along and they never idenitfied with Russia. That's why mere containment of Iran is a goal to small. Iran with its population and culture is a potential ally of the USA in the Middle East. US policy should empower opposition direct and have them break the regime. The USA should offer today's opposition of Iran a promise. If you kick out the islamists you will be a US ally equal to Poland, Germany or Japan.

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