For our next weekly blog entry, I felt it was important to address the ever changing crisis with Iran. I have attached an article published today by TIME Magazine which raises the question as to how should the United States handle the escalating crisis with Iran? Since Israel is a major ally of the United States and the fact they are strongly considering an attack on Iran, President Obama has a difficult decision to make. Please share with the class your thoughts on how the United States should handle this situation as well as what you predict will be the final outcome.
Conflict with Iran Article
17 comments:
I agree with Maggie about avoiding the war. We just got out of one, we do not need to go into another one. It would just make our recession even worse and even more people would be struggling to get by. I do not think it's our job to go in there yet unless we have absolutely no other choice. Let Israel handle it's problems on their own for a little bit. However, Iran needs to stop being so secretive about their nuclear weapons. We need to do something about that, but lately I think that we have begun to put pressure on them along with the rest of the countries. I think that if everyone boycotts, Iran will get the idea and start to back off. We do not need them angered though, we just need them to feel timid because we are still considered to be a threat if we want to be. Personally I believe we must continue to have a slightly good relationship with them and work on bettering it instead of automatically assuming that war is the only way to fix things. I think if everyone really just got together and worked problems out and negotiated, then that would be a lot better than losing hundreds of people who decided to fight for their country. If we have to go to war, then so be it, but I definitely do not think we are at that point yet and hopefully it will not come to that.
In my strong opinion I believe that the United States should stay out of the conflict between Israel and Iran. Right now Israel and Iran are not on good terms and I feel like if we get involved it would only do us more harm. One problem that I believe that United States has had in the past is getting involved with other country’s problems. I believe that it will serve us the best if we concentrate on our own problems and not the problems of other countries. If we support one side then we won’t be on good terms with the other side. Supporting one side will just cause us more problems and conflict. In regards to what Obama will decide to do, I honestly have no idea. I know the United States and Israel are good allies and I know that he is taking that into consideration, however he needs to decide what is best for the United States at this point and time. This decision is not an easy one for Obama to make and I am very interested to see what Obama will decide.
The United States is a very nosy country. We always feel like we have to get involved. In the case of Iran and Israel, just like in many other cases, the United States needs to learn how to stay out of the way and let things play out withouth our involvement. We may be a great nation, but we are not the King nation who's job is to protect everyone. In certain cases, I do understand our involvement. Such as right after 9/11. To me, that was a necessary decision to begin war and defend our country. We had to prove that we are strong and will never give up. We had to protect ourselves. When it comes to Israel, however, we need to let them solve some of their own problems. I agree with Katie that Iran needs to lessen up on their secrets about nuclear weaopns. Maybe eventually the issues will call for U.S. involvement but not just yet. The U.S. loves to get involved in certain wars and battles that is not our own to fight. I personally see both sides of the story. I realize we have to help others and be the good do-ers to also benefit ourselves later on, but I also think that American lives, and lives in general, are sacred and should not be at risk due to stupid causes. I think for right now, we need to focus on maintaing good relationships with these areas while not getting too involved. It may lead to U.S. involvement in war one day, and so be it if it is necessary. But until completely necessary, I think the U.S. would be better off backing off a little bit and letting others handle the situation. I think it is possible that the outcome will be war because that seems to happen a lot, but I certainly hope it does not come to that.
I definitely think that our country should try to avoid war because as a nation we are not ready to fight another war, financially or emotionally. The government should do whatever they can to prevent Israel from attacking Iran, but if this involves going to war again, I am not sure this would be the best choice for our country. If I were Obama, I would not know what to do because I completely understand that most Americans want to avoid war now, but this is not just about our country. I am not sure what Obama will do, but I think that he probably try to avoid war, especially because this is what people want, and the election is this year. Choices in foreign affairs are about making the world a better place and making decisions that will benefit humankind as a whole. It would be selfish for our country to only take care of ourselves when we are better off than many other countries of the world, but at the same time, I understand that we must take care of ourselves before we help others. I agree with Andi; I think that it is easy to see both sides of the situation. I think that whatever would lead to less human deaths should be the route our country should take, but unfortunately, we do not know which choice that would be because we cannot predict the future. By using peaceful methods, the United States could try to help Iran and Israel talk their problems out. If that does not work, I think we should avoid war unless it is absolutely necessary. Fighting is unnecessary in my opinion, and when countries do not fight back, they may appear weak. Many people believe it is important to fight back when attacked so that others will not “walk all over you,” but I disagree. I think the wisest and most responsible thing that can be done is to walk away.
I do not think it is smart for us to go into another war when we just got out of a very long one and brought some of our troops home. Although we are allies with Israel does not mean we need to go to war with them. We could aid them to stay allies but stay at arms length to avoid another conflict. I think it would be a bad idea to gain another enemy when our ultimate goal is to create peace between the countries. Before we help other countries like Grace said, we must focus on our country and the challenges we face because it is enough to keep us busy. We need to rebuild our economy for our country's sake because our needs should before any other countries, regardless of alliances because we must have a good foundation before helping others. Obama needs to be smart about this decision because if not, he could potentially put our country in danger.
I believe that the United States should apply a wait and see tactic to the situation in Iraq. This seems to me to be like a Cold War sequel. I think that we should sit back and hope that both countries realize that they are not able to be attack each other and win. This policy will also let the United States remain as neutral as possible while we try to influence peace discussions. The United States does not need to get itself involved in another peace keeping war that will neither benefit itself nor make lasting changes in the home country. I also think that it is important for Obama, and our future president, Mitt Romney (Ha, Maggie! Ha Ha Ha)to keep applying pressure on BOTH countries to ensure that one country does not think that because we support them that they have a free pass to attack the other country. This is a very precarious situation and it need to be handled very delicately, or it is liable to blow up in our faces.
I personally believe that it would be in our benefit to stay out of the conflict between these two countries. The United States is always trying to help out other nations and be that friend that everyone goes to when there in a crisis. It's a good reputation to have, but you can't always help everyone. Moreover, if the US got in the middle of this feud, we would without a doubt shift the attention of Iran to us, despite our allies. Bare with me, but I'm going to make another analogy. Iran is like a little kid always seeking attention. The United States, being the parents, should ignore their attempts to get us involved, which will eventually help Iran realize the should no longer wage war since quite frankly, no one cares! Therefore, if we don't give them our attention, we save ourselves and prevent the nation from getting caught in between these two powerful countries.
I agree with everyone in that the U.S. should try to avoid war as much as possible. Our troops just came out of Iraq, after being there for wayyy too long to begin with. The last thing we need right now is to attack a country that has a large supply of nuclear weapons that could potentially destroy several nations. Even though a strong army could be put together to attack Iran because of all the countries isolating Iran, I really don't think it's a smart idea to mess with them, especially during a time of recession. Obama really needs to consider all of his options along with what is best for our country. I think one of the U.S' problems is we feel the need to get involved with everything and help everyone. Well, what about our country? I think we need to build up our economy, get out of debt, and fix our other problems before planning to get in another war. War isn't always the solution to disagreements. Since the U.S. is always trying to be the hero, Obama should try to have a civil relationship with Iran, instead of turning against them, along with the rest of the world. That would be a heroic thing to do; be the better country. As the saying goes, "kill them with kindness." (I'm not really sure if that's suitable for this situation, but oh well) I just REALLY REALLLY REALLLLLLY hope Obama will make the right decision. HA that's a play on words....get it, Obama - "hope." Look how that's workin out for us. tisk tisk.
So I completely disagree with both of Maggie's posts, which isn't that unusual I guess. Anyways, even though war stinks, it is sometimes necessary. However, I don't think we need to go into war against Iran quite yet. I still think Obama made a bad decision to pull out all of our troops last year. Iran was obviously going to fall apart as soon as we left the Middle East. Therefore we need to carefully handle this situation. Iran very likely has nuclear weapons or other WMD. So we shouldn't go to war with them because they could easily use these weapons on us. However we can't just sit and wait because the situation is only going to get worse. Diplomacy is obviously extremely important for this scenario. We really need to take care of the Iran situation as soon as possible. I really hope that Obama will make smart decisions (though this is highly unlikely) about what we will do with Iran.
On Maggie's second post, I would just like to say that Romney is going to be our president and you just need to accept it. Also, this is random, but I saw a bumper sticker today when I was driving home that I really liked. It said 'I'd rather have money in my pocket than change shoved down my throat.' I think this shows how much of America feels about our current president...
Dear Maggie, I would just like to let you know that Hawaii is a state. Not a territory. Nice job. Oh and I disagree with you, as usual.
Now about the whole war with Iran thing: I don't personally think that war would be smart in Iran. However just standing by and letting them fall apart is out of the question as well. Because they most likely will start nuclear war with us if we decide to go to war with them, we should not go to war. But overall I think that war is good and unavoidable. For one, it boosts our economy tremendously, but it also gives America more power, and makes the world a safer and freer place. Now don't get me wrong, war is bad. Peace should always be the answer. But just because it should doesn't mean it is, and therefore war is bound to happen and must happen. To keep the peace, there must be war.
Wheeewwhh I'm rambling, I am so sorry. Anyways, Obama should not have completely pulled troops out last year. It made those countries fall back apart, and though not being at war with them is good, being completely uninvolved is definitely not good. We need involvement to keep peace in the world, because standing by and letting our fellow man fall apart is not a safe choice for the good of the world.
First off Margaret, you are crazy. Everyone in the world knows how much you love( in a very creepy and obsessive way) President Obama. I also can see you sitting at your computer writing your second blog out of pure enjoyment because many of the people in this class are not fans. You bring up a point that states, "Romney now realizes that money can't buy everything". I find this quite ironic because who is the person sitting in the White House currently with a boat load(had to use that term because we row...) of cash waiting to use to win? Oh wait.. Obama will use a ton of money to try to win because that's the only way he can. Obama believes that money can buy you everything, and I think he needs to learn this lesson as you say Romney did. What happens if Obama did not have all that money? He would most likely suffer and have to come up with a real plan to help our country and use that to try and win. I honestly do not like any of the current candidates for the upcoming election, however I would prefer to have Obama out of office. We need a fresh face in government to show that elections should not be based off of lies, money, and fighting. I also like the point you said about Democrats sitting around eating popcorn and twiddling their thumbs... I am glad that you agree that the Democratic party is not doing much to help our nation and it's nice to know what they really do... Now on to the real blog.... I believe that we should stay out of war. It can become costly and dangerous. We already have enough problems on our own and should focus on those. The best thing to do is support them when they need it most and let the troops that recently just returned stay home. I think Obama should help them try and come to agreement to avoid war. War, in my opinion, is unnecessary and sad. We need to be the peacemakers in an appropriate way so no one gets upset with us and so that our world can try and become a more positive place. No more conflict is needed in the US and we need to remain neutral. I truly believe that war should be avoided and the outcome will be great if we can have them make peace.
I agree with Nichole, especially the part about our future president Mitt Romney. (Maggie scares me a little bit with that extra post). I think that the U.S. should remain neutral in this situation until force is necessary. Starting a war with Iran right now would not be the best decision for the United States right now. Our economy cannot afford to get involved in any type of war. We need to try to help Israel and Iran resolve their issues peacefully. Hopefully no force from the U.S. will ever be needed. However, if it is needed we should be ready to act. This situation should be played by ear. We cannot commit to a war that is not actually a good idea, but we also cannot commit to doing absolutely nothing. The U.S. needs to keep a watchful eye on Iran and to monitor the situation very carefully.
Also, I just saw Kelly's, Annie's, and Danielle's posts because I had left the page open for too long and it refreshed when I posted my comment. Anyways, I agree with Kelly and Annie on their entire blogs and Danielle on her first part about Maggie's irritating second point. I love the point Danielle brought up about the popcorn and twiddling their thumbs. It not only holds truth in this current situation of government but also made me laugh. In Annie's post, I loved when she said that peace SHOULD always be the answer but that doesn't meant that it WILL always be the answer. Sometimes peace is not an option. And then as for Kelly's I was really entertained with the bumper sticker she was talking about and I want one for my car. Also, I agree with every single point that Kelly made which actually isn't that unusual.
I do not think the United States will or should go into war with Iran at all costs. It is unreasonable in that it would hurt many people and economies. For many years now the United States, like many other countries, has been able to reserve to itself in peace with other countries. Why break that now? It's rather likely that each country has a wide array of nuclear, destructive weapons what when launched will surely destroy the humankind of another country. It would be illogical to begin an attack that would take out every country. To build a strong economy it is important to be interactive with other economies which would be destroyed in the course of war. Lives change from disasters, which is where the root of hatred evolves from. I think if more countries would be able to work peacefully together our world would prosper and be a better place for people. I know that is a long shot goal but it's my picture of my ideal world.
I do not think that it would be wise for the United States to get involved in a war with Iran. I think that the somewhat peaceful state we have between us should remain the way it is and that it would benefit our country as well as Iran if we tried to build a stronger relationship with them rather then start a war. I wish that war could always be avoided but I know that sometimes it is very necessary. However in this case I think that war should be avoided. I think that Iran should try and handle their problems on their own, and ultimately take responsibility for their actions. Actually when I think about it, Iran probably does not realize what could happen if they do decide to invade Iraq. That could have major consequences for their own country and for the rest of the world. If the United States really has to get involved in the form of starting war, then I guess that has to happen sometimes but I really hope we don’t decide to do that.
I do not think that it would be wise for the United States to get involved in a war with Iran. I think that the somewhat peaceful state we have between us should remain the way it is and that it would benefit our country as well as Iran if we tried to build a stronger relationship with them rather then start a war. I wish that war could always be avoided but I know that sometimes it is very necessary. However in this case I think that war should be avoided. I think that Iran should try and handle their problems on their own, and ultimately take responsibility for their actions. Actually when I think about it, Iran probably does not realize what could happen if they do decide to invade Iraq. That could have major consequences for their own country and for the rest of the world. If the United States really has to get involved in the form of starting war, then I guess that has to happen sometimes but I really hope we don’t decide to do that.
I think the United States should avoid going to war. We just got soldiers out of Iraq and still have soldiers overseas. I don't think it is a good idea to send troops over there after we were able to bring some home. It is not I the best interest of those who have loved ones fighting. Also there is no major problem going on between Isreal and Iran,so getting involved would cause more problems. The U.S. thinks that it is there job together involved in everything thatis going on in the world. I do think the United States should keep an eye on the situation, but wait until they know exactly what's going on and the effects before sending troops. Also the economy is bad and the last thing people want is the United States putting more effect into fixing problems overseas then in fixing the problems right here in our own country. It does no good helping people in other countries when we're not even focused own our wn problems.
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