Iran Subject to Sanctions… Kind Of
The United States and Europe are celebrating the fact that they were able to convince the United Nations of the need to implement sanctions against Iran. It was a remarkable diplomatic victory indeed considering that Russia said a week ago or so that it would not agree to any sanctions.
And it didn’t.
The ‘victory’ for the West is not a victory at all. The document signed at the UN is nothing but a way for the West to save face. The ’sanctions’ are not new in any way, nor is there a way for the UN to force Iran to comply. If Iran continues to defy the West, it will not face any new sanctions and punishments.
So what does the document do then? It’s simply a repetition of earlier sanctions. It summarizes them and declares them once again into effect.
Once again the West seems powerless. Iran will be able to develop nuclear energy for nuclear weapons. Not because the West is not united, as was the problem once, but because the UN is not united; Russia and Iran are far from enemies. The current situation at the UN is comparable to that during the Cold War. The West is united in protecting its interests and acting against rogue and radical regimes, while Russia automatically considers all those in conflict with the West to be its potential allies.
If "West" did not act so arbitrarily alone in the last 8 years, starting illegal wars, setting up torture chambers around the world, attacking and threatening any country they feel fit, then the rest of "Non-Western" countries would not be rallying around Iran. I do not think Russia or China particularly fancy Iran but see them as a symbol of disobedience under the harsh bulling…. having said that, I am very uncomfortable having a nuclear Iran so close to Turkey but it seems inevitable under the circumstances! Thanks to the Bush/Blair Administration who pissed off many countries around the world….