American Providence: Deterring Aggression in the Middle East

Summary

The ostensible purpose of U.S. hostility toward Iran is to prevent the Iran from building a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran from dominating the Middle East. This was a two part series examining how effective the implementation of this policy has been toward resolving its stated purposes. In fact, U.S. policy is actively undermining the given objectives.

Part I of this series focuses on how the United States has systematically blocked any move toward peaceful or diplomatic solutions to this issue. They have repeatedly rebuffed offers from Tehran to normalize relations with the U.S. The U.S. has also abrogated the existing international framework under the NPT. They have violated the treaty by supplying nuclear technology to the non signatory state India and begun new weapons research and development. The U.S. has stood alone in opposition to an international agreement that would provide an international mechanism for monitoring and controlling fissile nuclear material.

Part II discusses the hard track of U.S. policy, or military actions. The U.S. has acted to compel nations to seek deterrents for U.S. aggression with the Bush doctrine of preemptive war. The U.S. has also engaged in hostile action toward Iran, including raiding an Iranian consulate and detaining Iranian officials, violating Iranian air space, conducting military exercises off of Iran’s coast, and clandestine raids