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Iranian Deja Vu
p3skyking
Member Posts: 23,916 ✭✭✭
After listening to Obama at the last debate, I mulled over Iran and what has happened before. Some of you may find this interesting:
Our economy has been in the tank for awhile and our Democrat president says he's doing everything he can to get us out of our economic woes.
On the world stage, a rogue country is exporting mischief to it's neighbors and it's leadership pays no heed to world condemnation.
We are pushing sanctions and denying them access to trade and materials we feel would enable them to continue their uncivilized ways. From all reports, they are feeling the pinch.
It's a strange country to us. A strange religion. The people have little freedom or say in how things work. Our deplomacy has so far yielded little positive results and their rhetoric and actions clearly reflect that. They are suffering shortages of critical materials and quality of life for the average person is declining as rationing is imposed.
There is much speculation of an impending war. Our President publicly decries that and vows war is a last resort.
On December 7th, 1941, Imperial Japanese forces attacked the anchored American Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii and for America, World War II began.
What is past is prologue.
Our economy has been in the tank for awhile and our Democrat president says he's doing everything he can to get us out of our economic woes.
On the world stage, a rogue country is exporting mischief to it's neighbors and it's leadership pays no heed to world condemnation.
We are pushing sanctions and denying them access to trade and materials we feel would enable them to continue their uncivilized ways. From all reports, they are feeling the pinch.
It's a strange country to us. A strange religion. The people have little freedom or say in how things work. Our deplomacy has so far yielded little positive results and their rhetoric and actions clearly reflect that. They are suffering shortages of critical materials and quality of life for the average person is declining as rationing is imposed.
There is much speculation of an impending war. Our President publicly decries that and vows war is a last resort.
On December 7th, 1941, Imperial Japanese forces attacked the anchored American Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii and for America, World War II began.
What is past is prologue.
Comments
It has not invaded any other nation since it came about in the late 1970's.
And Iran's air force is a joke compared to what what Imperial Japan had.
And the Iranians are nowhere near as smart as the Japanese were - and I'm not giving Imperial Japan a lot of credit for smarts.
To be fair, there are some similarities.
Both Iran and Imperial Japan employed human wave attacks - the hallmark of the desperate or the stupid.
Both Iran and Imperial Japan have/had a problem securing enough fuel for their economy. While Iran has plenty of oil, it has few (if any) refineries.
And both Iran and Imperial Japan have/had the benefit of being the big fish in a little pond - they scare their neighbors, but won't last long when the Big Boys come a-knockin'.
Let Iran get nukes. It will do them as much good as battleships did for Imperial Japan.
The difference between Iran and Imperial Japan, however, is that the current Iranian regime has not started a single war it has been involved in.
It has not invaded any other nation since it came about in the late 1970's.
And Iran's air force is a joke compared to what what Imperial Japan had.
And the Iranians are nowhere near as smart as the Japanese were - and I'm not giving Imperial Japan a lot of credit for smarts.
To be fair, there are some similarities.
Both Iran and Imperial Japan employed human wave attacks - the hallmark of the desperate or the stupid.
Both Iran and Imperial Japan have/had a problem securing enough fuel for their economy. While Iran has plenty of oil, it has few (if any) refineries.
And both Iran and Imperial Japan have/had the benefit of being the big fish in a little pond - they scare their neighbors, but won't last long when the Big Boys come a-knockin'.
Let Iran get nukes. It will do them as much good as battleships did for Imperial Japan.
There's more than just a few things in common.
The Tojo's in Iran could be considered fanatics. Neither side had/has a problem recruiting kamakazis.
As Romney pointed out during the debate, our navy is the smallest it's been since 1917, even smaller than the 1941 navy.
The League of Nations, like the UN, was/is a joke.
Roosevelt looked at the Constitution pretty much like Obama does - a nusance.
You are right about an Iranian bomb and the Japanese battleship. Eventually they won't matter, but for awhile they will raise hell.
People have a short memory about how the Shah Pahlevi was overthrown by instigation and support of American ILiberal lefties.
He was our friend.
An assassination team would be more appropriate than causing slow suffering of the people.
Sadam had pretty much the same dream, except he fancied himself a new Saladin.
I really can't picture America wanting to turn Tehran into a crater. America may be forced to it, but they wouldn't particularly want to.
I can picture Iran using a surrogate and turning D.C., New York or Tel Aviv into a crater. Anything that is bad for America is good for them, in their world view.
Same old conundrum, half of the people think being pro active is wrong and the other half think being reactive is stupid.
Being reactive or not reacting until half past too late has gotten us into a couple of world wars, a twenty year cold war and a fairly perpetual insurgent war.
Being pro active usually takes ten years of fairly low level conflict ending in a questionable outcome.
Maybe there is no good answer and all the choices are going to be painful.
The only stratigey that has worked for us so far, is to flatten the opponent, defeat them thoroughly and in detail, then to help them rebuild after the conflict.
Very few Germans in the WW II age group actually hate Americans, most are grateful we didn't leave them for the Russians and spent a lot of money helping then to rebuild.
The Japanese don't seem particularly inimical towards America.
The wild card is Turkey, they don't have a strategic capability but do have one of the larger armies on the planet. And for the last twenty years are slowly abandoning the secular philosophies that got them into NATO.
People fprget the Iraq invasion was supposed to be two pronged,from the south and the north. At the last minute Turkey reneged and would not allow the 2nd A.D, (I think) and attached brigades access to their ports. Turkey disallowed passage fo Hospital ships to Georgia in 2008.
Iran and Turkey are slowly becoming allies, things get real complicated very quickly.
There's more than just a few things in common.
As Romney pointed out during the debate, our navy is the smallest it's been since 1917, even smaller than the 1941 navy.But our current navy is a hell of a lot more effective. Can you honestly tell me that the US Navy today cannot counter as many threats as the one from 1917? Or 1941?
quote:You are right about an Iranian bomb and the Japanese battleship. Eventually they won't matter, but for awhile they will raise hell.
After the hell of World War II, we were the sole military and industrial power left on Earth and we enjoyed decades of unparalleled prosperity.
So let 'em raise some hell. It'll be no big deal to us.
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
There's more than just a few things in common.
As Romney pointed out during the debate, our navy is the smallest it's been since 1917, even smaller than the 1941 navy.But our current navy is a hell of a lot more effective. Can you honestly tell me that the US Navy today cannot counter as many threats as the one from 1917? Or 1941?
quote:You are right about an Iranian bomb and the Japanese battleship. Eventually they won't matter, but for awhile they will raise hell.
After the hell of World War II, we were the sole military and industrial power left on Earth and we enjoyed decades of unparalleled prosperity.
So let 'em raise some hell. It'll be no big deal to us.
As far as the Navy goes, if you actually think quality is better than quantity. I'm sure the French have a few hundred sea to sea missiles they'd be glad to sell you. The Old B.S. that Chuck Norris is worth a whole platoon of infantry is hooey.
After Tel Aviv is a smoking crater and the ignorant hordes flock to the Iranian banner it could turn into a very big deal. Most of North Africa and much of the middle East is pretty much leaderless now, if not leaderless disorganized. What would it take to unit them and point them in a direction, say West or North. How long would America be able to stay out of it, not long is my guess.