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The US now finds itself in a trap of its own making. It is illustrated by Iran, but it is much broader than that.
I would not label Iran as a crisis or grave threat. But it is a genuine cause for concern. Both for its' own excesses, as a source of instability in that part of the world and its larger undermining of the goal of nuclear non-proliferation. It has to be dealt with in some way.
Before 2001, the United States would have been in a more credible position to deal with Iran, both with carrots and sticks. The carrots woild be that if they behave themselves, they can become a functioning member of the world community. The sticks would be the implied threat that "You don't want to piss off the United States because of the potential consequences."
That's the nature of being a genuine World Power. It is not that you actually USE the military power at your disposal. But you have the implied ability to enforce your policies if pushed too far.
Bush and the Neocons thought they were strengthing the US in this sense. They thought the US had become weak and soft, and that we had to actually USE our power to impose our will and showthe world that we mean business.
Well, "Surprise Surprise Sgt. Carter!" They have managed to do the exact opposite of what they intended. Thanks to the Iraq War, and the general alienation from our allies caused by our arrogence, we have lost the ability to even feebly express our will in the world.
One of the major reasons is that the perception of the US as an Invincible military Power has been taken away. The world has seen the cost of what happens when we overstep our bounds. Our military is overstretched, our country is torn asunder, anhd we are mired in a conflict that we cannot find a reasonable way out of. America is demoralized, and has no taste for a new war.
It is a giant example of the Emperor's New Clothes. We took on a third-rate tinhorn dictator, and we can't sustain it. The fig leaf of invincible power has been removed from the US.
So we are little more than a Paper Tiger today. We played our Ace in the Hole, and we lost. Any country that we deal with now sees that we are not capable of really following through. And so they take us less seriously. And so, Iran is in a position to thumb its nose at us, because they know that we can't really back up our position with action....And if we are stupid enough to try, the cost will be too great for us to bear.
And so, by totally misusing and abusing the power we do have, we have weakened our position in the world. We look pathetic rather than fearsome.
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