Sunday, September 22, 2019

THE PROBLEM WITH IRAN


The U.S. and most of the world believe the drone and Cruise missile attack on the largest oil facility in the world was conducted by Iran. Despite abundant saber-rattling, Saudi Arabia and the United States are left with few options in which to retaliate. President Trump has put new sanctions on Iran but it is hard to imagine that they will inflict any more pain than the sanctions already in place. What’s stopping the U.S. from declaring all-out war against the Iranians?

A simple analogy explains the situation. The U.S. is like a man in the desert with a rattlesnake wrapped around his leg. He has a bullet in his pistol and he can surely kill the snake, but not without the risk of injuring himself in the process. What is the risk of attacking Iran? A chaotic disruption in the oil market which could propel the world economy into a dangerous downward economic spiral.


The stakes are high and the U.S. doesn't want to shoot itself in the foot.

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