Dealing with the Devil

POLITICS, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of
principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.
--The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce

"You can't sell rotten peaches"
--James Zogby (president, Arab American Institute)
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Iran is now doing an end run around U.S. sanctions by shifting its trade from West to East, specifically China, which will overtake Germany as Iran's biggest trading partner this year.

"Oil traders said that Iran does an increasing portion of its petroleum sales in euros and yen, instead of U.S. dollars, and often through third parties, to help its customers circumvent U.S. financial sanctions" (Iran Adapts to Economic Pressure.)

Is it possible this is Iran's greatest offense against GWB's overreaching foreign policy? The U.S. was willing to allow and in fact encourage the Shah of Iran to possess a nuclear capability. But he worshiped at the altar of the almighty dollar.

Would Iran's nuclear aspirations be less offensive to U.S. policy if they dealt in dollars, and purchased their nuclear capability from U.S. sources? It is o.k. for Israel, India and Pakistan, but not for Iran. Then again, Iran is evil.

Shaul Bakhash, a historian and author of The Reign of the Ayatollahs said, "Iran has a huge cushion of foreign-exchange reserves." What an interesting concept, to possess such a buffer, something absent from U.S. fiscal policy. A good reason to bomb them.

But the U.S. should not comfort itself that Western European allies are turning away from Iranian development in a show of solidarity; rather, "(France, Italy and China) are unlikely to move ahead [in Iran], in large part because of the commercial terms Iran is offering." U.S. policy is irrelevant to these countries when push comes to shove.

While Germany and France have been reducing banking ventures with Iran, "(b)oth countries still buy oil from Iran."

The EU countries have viable foreign policies and deal with the devil on an economic level. Their economies are robust and growing. Germany and France have learned that military aggression and wars do not favor geopolitical stability. For them, economic dominance is more important than military adventurism.

America is not the only superpower in the world. Our military is tied up in knots in the dueling sandboxes of Iraq and Afghanistan. Imagine an alliance of Turkey and Iran opposing the U.S. military over Kurdish conflicts. Imagine another war with Russia, China or even Germany. Hell, throw in Japan. Pick one -- any one. Now tell this Ranger that the U.S. is the only superpower in the world.

The U.S. is the only power willing to expend military coercion to force its spurious will upon third- rate military powers.