Iran cannot be bullied like Iraq

Pravda.ru: Iran does not need America's carrots and is not afraid of its sticks

"Obama said that he wanted bigger carrots and bigger sticks not to let Iran build a nuclear weapon. The United States will therefore use tougher sanctions against the nation to change Iran’s behavior, he added."

Seems the bully has picked on the wrong Middle Eastern Islamic Republic! (And I guess that means the White House won't be getting Ahmadinejad's lunch money either.)



(Images: A little bit of propaganda. Above, in Tehran, 'Down with USA and Israel'. Below, (well it's actually an anti-McCain poster) one of McCain's less tactful PR moments, captured for posterity.)

Iraq was starved and bombed for ten years prior to its invasion. The sanctions had the worst effect - they were designed to starve the people into rebellion against Saddam, but only resulted in famine in what was one of the Arabic world's richest regions. Then the government co-operated with UN weapons inspection programs, but what good did that do? They wound up getting invaded anyway.

Whether the removal of Saddam was morally correct, pragmatically correct, or within the jurisdiction of the Coalition, is a whole other thing. But the precedent has been set: 'co-operating' with the powers that be is seen as something that will be taken advantage of, rather than something that can be productive.

Or in short, the war in Iraq has given Iran good reason not to trust the US.