Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluesman
Blow something up, and don't even send anything through diplomatic channels that sounds like a demand for the release of the fifteen. They know what they've done; they know what we mean. It's up to them to crawl to US to get them out of this. For once, let this be THEIR hostage crisis.  |
It seems highly likely that this is exactly what they're hoping for. Iran is a classic pressure cooker - huge numbers of unemployed young people, a repressive government, etc. One of the classic ways of taking the pressure off is to manufacture an external crisis - in which case the populace almost universally pull together and support the regime against an external threat. That's what Galtieri did in the Falklands, and I personally think that's what Iran is doing here. A military response plays into their hands and means they are more likely to frustrate our long-term goal (a democratic and non-threatening government in Tehran).
I have no objection to using whatever military force necessary if that's the only way to get our guys back safely. However, given the fact that this is a manufactured crisis then a delay of a couple of weeks in getting our guys back is acceptable if it wrecks the Iranian plan.