Ross co-authored an op-ed with Richard Holbrooke, R. James Woolsey, and Mark D. Wallace entitled, "Everybody Needs to Worry About Iran." The op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal Sept. 22, 2008, stated: "Iran is now edging closer to being armed with nuclear weapons, and it continues to develop a ballistic-missile capability."
As Prof Gary Leupp stated: "This contradicts the conclusion of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies (Central Intelligence Agency, Army Military Intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Security Agency, etc.) as of November 2007. Those authors reported: "We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program." In other words, in the world of empirical methods, critical thinking and analysis the world of hundreds of trained professionals who've actually researched Iran's nuclear program, with access to spy satellite data, reports from agents in the field, electronic surveillance--Iran has no nuclear program. Mohamed ElBaradei and IAEA staffers on the ground have consistently said that Iran has been thoroughly cooperative and that there are no signs of any diversion for a military program But in the world of this Chicken Little group Iran is edging ever nearer to nukes."
The editorial describes the nuclear program as "destabilizing" (while noting that Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Israel all have nuclear weapons) and repeats the old Cheneyism that since Iran has so much oil it can't have any possible real need for a civilian program. (The Iranian nuclear program was encouraged by the Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations when the Shah was in power and supported by General Electric and other U.S. firms.) It repeats the old charge that Iran's President Ahmadinejad has threatened to wipe Israel off the map (adding that he's said it could be done with one nuke) and generally assembles all the Bush-era anti-Iran talking-points: Iran sponsors Hizbollah and Hamas terrorism, the regime's repression towards women and homosexuals, and Iran could shut off the Strait of Hormuz, etc.
In conclusion the authors announce their establishment "along with other policy advocates from across the political spectrum" of the nonpartisan group United Against Nuclear Iran.
Prof. Gary Leupp says Ross is known to favor the recommendations of a September 2008 report by something called the Bipartisan Policy Center. These include forcing Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and meet other demands by imposing blockades on Iranian gas imports and oil exports (acts of war) as well as striking "not only Iran's nuclear infrastructure, but also its conventional military infrastructure in order to suppress an Iranian response." So it looks like the official Obama line towards Iran, at least for the beginning, will be the Cheney-neocon line. And that is worrisome.
So what foreign policy change is expected by the Obama administration? State policy does not change with the changing of politicians, but is laid out years in advance. This is more clear in the case of Obama because of the deep expectations of change; and probably change there will be none. This message was also brought home by the former president of Pakistan Parwez Musharraf. Commenting on the latest US missile attacks on Pakistan, Musharraf told the CNN:
"But as far as this issue of the new president -- President Obama having taken over and this continuing -- but I have always been saying that policies don't change with personalities; policies have national interest, and policies depend on an environment. So the environment and national interest of the United States being the same, I thought policies will remain constant."
Obama's election has aroused optimism in the Muslim world that he would reverse the Bush administration policies that created a negative image of America and fomented anti-American feelings throughout the world. President Obama said in his Al-Arabiya interview that ultimately, people are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions and my administration's actions. Let us hope that his policies will bring peace to all.
As Prof Gary Leupp stated: "This contradicts the conclusion of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies (Central Intelligence Agency, Army Military Intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Security Agency, etc.) as of November 2007. Those authors reported: "We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program." In other words, in the world of empirical methods, critical thinking and analysis the world of hundreds of trained professionals who've actually researched Iran's nuclear program, with access to spy satellite data, reports from agents in the field, electronic surveillance--Iran has no nuclear program. Mohamed ElBaradei and IAEA staffers on the ground have consistently said that Iran has been thoroughly cooperative and that there are no signs of any diversion for a military program But in the world of this Chicken Little group Iran is edging ever nearer to nukes."
The editorial describes the nuclear program as "destabilizing" (while noting that Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Israel all have nuclear weapons) and repeats the old Cheneyism that since Iran has so much oil it can't have any possible real need for a civilian program. (The Iranian nuclear program was encouraged by the Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations when the Shah was in power and supported by General Electric and other U.S. firms.) It repeats the old charge that Iran's President Ahmadinejad has threatened to wipe Israel off the map (adding that he's said it could be done with one nuke) and generally assembles all the Bush-era anti-Iran talking-points: Iran sponsors Hizbollah and Hamas terrorism, the regime's repression towards women and homosexuals, and Iran could shut off the Strait of Hormuz, etc.
In conclusion the authors announce their establishment "along with other policy advocates from across the political spectrum" of the nonpartisan group United Against Nuclear Iran.
Prof. Gary Leupp says Ross is known to favor the recommendations of a September 2008 report by something called the Bipartisan Policy Center. These include forcing Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and meet other demands by imposing blockades on Iranian gas imports and oil exports (acts of war) as well as striking "not only Iran's nuclear infrastructure, but also its conventional military infrastructure in order to suppress an Iranian response." So it looks like the official Obama line towards Iran, at least for the beginning, will be the Cheney-neocon line. And that is worrisome.
"But as far as this issue of the new president -- President Obama having taken over and this continuing -- but I have always been saying that policies don't change with personalities; policies have national interest, and policies depend on an environment. So the environment and national interest of the United States being the same, I thought policies will remain constant."
Obama's election has aroused optimism in the Muslim world that he would reverse the Bush administration policies that created a negative image of America and fomented anti-American feelings throughout the world. President Obama said in his Al-Arabiya interview that ultimately, people are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions and my administration's actions. Let us hope that his policies will bring peace to all.
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