McCain's Foreign Policy is Simplistic and Dangerous

Listen closely, John McCain’s positions toward Iran are dangerous, naïve, simplistic -- the same counterproductive, cowboy foreign policy of George W Bush.

One goal of American foreign policy is that Iran not become nuclear-armed. There are two major ways to accomplish this.

The first is to talk, to engage Iran and, through use of carrots and sticks, encourage them to eschew their nuclear-weapons ambitions. In this tack, no military action is off the table, but other means are primary. There's no time to lose.

The second method is to bomb: not to engage, not try meaningfully to discourage their nuclear-weapons ambitions. Simply bomb when a case can be made that they are near to having a nuclear weapon.

McCain obviously favors the second method. In fact, he has made statements that would actually encourage Iran to accelerate nuclear-arming.

Let’s look at the context. While some in the US threaten Iran in inflammatory terms, no one threatens North Korea. What’s the difference? North Korea already has nuclear weapons, so the US negotiates with them. It’s not hard to imagine that Iran would like not to be threatened. So, threats are likely to cause them to seek nuclear weapons ASAP.

What has McCain done?

He saber-rattles: “bomb, bomb, bomb… bomb, bomb Iran” to the tune of the Beach Boys. When asked about it by a reporter, he snapped: old vets joke when they get together and anyone who doesn’t understand that should get a life. Well, McCain was not tipping a beer with some old vets – he was on worldwide TV as the Republican nominee. This “joke” reflects the demonization of Iranians – a simplistic approach.

How would Iran view this “joke”? As motivation to get nuclear-armed ASAP so the tone toward it could be more like the tone toward N. Korea.

Either McCain’s judgment is horrible or he has calculated that Iran will arm ASAP and then bombing will become “necessary.”

To make matters worse, he has sought and received the endorsement of his spiritual advisor, Rod Parsely, who says that America’s raison d’etre is to destroy Islam.

How do you think that plays to Iran and the rest of the world? And the US is supposed to stand for freedom of religion. Iran is an Islamic-state. Faced with a policy statement calling for their destruction, the only rational response by Iran is to seek nuclear-arms ASAP.

This result is exacerbated by Bush’s ignorant use of “crusade” in his first term.

McCain wants a permanent US base in Iraq – on Iran’s doorstep. Shia – Sunni, don’t bother him with details when he’s singing his Crusader Beach Boy song. Again, what would you do if you were Iran? Cooperate with weapons inspectors? Offer transparency? Give up nuclear weapons ambitions when you fear the US might invade on a pretext – like, perhaps Iran’s support of al Qaeda?

Meanwhile, McCain says it’s naïve even to bother talking to Iran. After all, bombing is the extent of his vaunted national defense experience (20+ bombing runs over Viet Nam).

Given McCain’s statements, “jokes”, and positions, it is clear his favored method of dealing with Iran is: Don’t engage and, as soon as he can make the case they are on the verge of nuclear-armament, he will bomb.

And with what result: deaths, collateral damage, further destabilization of the region, great risk to Israel, alienation of allies, fueling the belief that the US is at war with Islam, further loss of American reputation in the world, and cementing many nations as our enemies going forward.

The alternative: try talking with Iran. Tell them in no uncertain terms where the US stands. Try bringing them into the community of nations. If it fails, other options remain on the table.

Who else wants to talk with Iran? Here are a few: Sec. of State Rice. Sec. of Defense Gates. General Petraeus. James Baker.

John McCain offers a highly dangerous, simplistic, cowboy foreign policy approach that appeals to those who easily accept demonization of the Iranians.

The US needs to add intelligence (like in IQ and EQ) to its foreign policy arsenal. That would be Barack Obama.