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Was Iran A Potential Ally

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by pgabriel, Jan 8, 2020.

  1. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    Im not that Informed on Sunni/Shia culture/differences. I know our history with Iran and about its fundamentalist leadership. I know about their support of terrorist organizations and their differences with Isreal.

    The country seems very educated and nothing like Iraq was under Saddam in terms of chaos. I understand Obama trying to form a treaty with them in terms of stemming their nuclear possibilities and futhering a relationship.

    I thought forming a relationship was possible. Were people who believed this just naive or did Trump just set us back?
     
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  2. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

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    A potential Ally McBeal.
     
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  3. Ottomaton

    Ottomaton Contributing Member
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    Coexistence was best case. Ally, no.

    Terrified of communists, and getting worked up to it by the UK who wanted to protect BP profits from nationalization, the US seriously f'd with Iran in the 1950's. The Shah that the 1979 revolution kicked out was installed by the US, and as a result, the US has been a symbol of everything wrong with the past since day one of the Islamic Republic (although interestingly Ayatollahs were consulted by the CIA and approved removal of Mosaddegh). Also, Israel is the big boogeyman that they want to get rid of, and US scores double points for being so closely allied with Israel.

    Never in a million years would the USA and Islamic Republic be anything like friendly.
     
  4. dachuda86

    dachuda86 Member

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    That deal with crap bro. Obama's foreign relations were a disaster on Jimmy Carter levels of ignorance. He got a pass cause the media adored him. They were never going to work with us and even it was admitted by administration officials that it would only keep them from nukes for about a decade. They are not allies and will not be allies until a pro-western govt is established. The best option for them is to find common ground, which I think we can agree on is at least not WW3. Maybe we can keep things stable until they overthrow their psychos.
     
  5. dachuda86

    dachuda86 Member

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    Nailed it.

    Ottomaton gets that region....
     
  6. FranchiseBlade

    FranchiseBlade Contributing Member
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    Was it? Did he alienate allies? There were certainly some areas where I disagreed with him. It was usually the minutia of the policy rather than the broad direction. There were things he didn't do and areas where I believe he should have been harder on nations like Suadi Arabia. But that doesn't qualify as a disaster.

    His sanctions helped put and keep the Russian economy in the tank. He got Iran into a nuclear deal where we had inspectors as part of the deal to help verify they were fulfilling the end of their deal.

    So rather than argue about those smaller details. What specific areas do you believe were disasters?
     
  7. REEKO_HTOWN

    REEKO_HTOWN I'm Rich Biiiiaaatch!

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    The only muslim countries that are allies are the one who can pay us to be.
     
  8. SWTsig

    SWTsig Contributing Member

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    you blame the media and in the very same breath espouse nothing but right-wing talking points. most of us aren't that gullible to believe that nonsense. the iran deal was negotiated and approved by numerous countries and all of them admonished this administration for backing out of it. you say it would only "work for a decade" a day after iran said they were going to start the program back up immediately.

    if trump didn't like all the terms of the deal he could've asked to come back to negotiating table. instead, since all the right seems to care about is immediate action w no consideration to future consequences, he nixed the whole deal against the advice of 99% of the world.

    i'm still shocked at the alternate universe many of you live in.
     
  9. fchowd0311

    fchowd0311 Contributing Member

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    Can you elaborate why the deal was crap? The point of the deal was to delay and curb Iran's weaponized uranium enrichment ambitions along with allowing western investment into the country that would lead to soften positions of views of the West by Iranians which would lead to Iranians eventually voting in more moderate politicans.
     
  10. Exiled

    Exiled Member

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    [​IMG]
     
  11. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Contributing Member

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    A million years is a long-ass time. I predict someday a government situated on part of the land we now call the United States will ally with a government installed on part of the land we now call Iran.

    Intractable conflicts do tend to morph considerably when the conditions change. Germans of 1900 probably would tell you they could never be friends with the French and now look where we are. The US and USSR were locked in a decades-long struggle for global hegemony. Then the USSR collapsed and the relationship improved considerably. It's started to sour again with Putin, but still not as bad as it was during the cold war.

    I doubt we could be allies with Iran in the foreseeable future. Though they have more qualities deserving of our friendship than does our actual ally, the House of Saud. But, I think there had been a chance to normalize the relationship at least, have an ambassador there, and have trade -- a relationship like we have with other Middle East countries we also don't have a well of fondness for, like Lebanon or Jordan.
     
  12. No Worries

    No Worries Contributing Member

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    Saudis would veto that. Trump exists to do the Saudis bidding.
     
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  13. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    In terms of population what about Iranians under 40. Didnt the Arab Spring start in Iran? Not sure
     
  14. Ottomaton

    Ottomaton Contributing Member
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    I think most of the people, young and old are generally OK with the USA. Like most around the world, they are probably more fans of the culture than the government (be it Dem or Republican) but they generally like the USA.

    The government is run by theologians and conservative nationalists and their views only represent a minority fragment of the population.
     
  15. Roc Paint

    Roc Paint Contributing Member

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    Keep your enemies closer
     
  16. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

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    [​IMG]
     
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  17. Mr.Scarface

    Mr.Scarface Member

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    You are idiot.

    The Republicans/Conservatives still hate Iran over the Hostages in the late 70s. They could never let that go. Conservatives HATE Islam. They will tolerate it when it SERVES their interest.
    Obama making a nuclear deal that could have brought Iran into the World's mainstream was something they could live with....because Conservatives/Republicans still hold a grudge over the Hostage/Iran Revolution.
     
  18. Andre0087

    Andre0087 Member

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    You act like there weren't 5 other countries that sent reps to negotiate then agree to terms with them. This Obama fingerpointing bullshit is getting out of control. I can't imagine Trump in charge after the recession hit...it would have doomed the entire country.
     
  19. Roc Paint

    Roc Paint Contributing Member

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    No thanks, I don’t like big p*****s
     
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  20. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    There have been areas the US has worked with Iran. Iran actually helped the US during the early days of the war in Afghanistan, largely because they felt threatened by the Taliban. Iran also fought against ISIS too and if not for their support Baghdad might've fallen to ISIS. During the presidency of Khatami Iran did reach out to the rest of the World including the US. Unfortunately he was undermined both by hardliners in Iran and also by the inability to make major progress with foreign adversaries. Whether Iran could ever be an ally I wouldn't rule out completely. Certainly if there was an area of common interests, such as Iraq falling under a radical Sunni led regime, there might be enough common ground found. As other posters have noted there is a long history of hostility going back to Mossadegh. I think the most that could be expected of Iran is while not a friend but not an enemy. Something like the US relationship with India.

    Also in regard to the continued criticism of the Obama Iran deal. First let's lay aside the irony of criticizing that deal while celebrating the not yet even signed phase 1 deal with the PRC or the concessions made to NK just in hope of a deal. I agree the Iran deal wasn't a perfect deal and Iran isn't to be trusted. That deal though was made for when the sanctions regime was already collapsing and even though the US has put back sanctions many other countries, including those that were in the deal, are still dealing with Iran. While the US does have a lot of leverage the US cannot unilaterally destroy Iran financially and is one reason why the Regime is still there even after two years of "maximum pressure." Further that deal was what Reagan would refer to as a "trust but verify" it got inspectors into Iranian nuclear facilities and had other safeguards built in. Without that deal we have almost know way of keeping track of what Iran is doing. For that matter what we do know is that Iran has resumed enriching uranium and is now closer to having a nuke than when the deal was in effect. Finally one of the most important aspects of that deal was that it freed us to deal with other threats than having to deal simultaneously with ISIS, the Taliban, and Iran. It should be no coincidence that following this latest round of conflict we've had to pull back from fighting a reemergent ISIS to worry about what Iran might do.
     

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