the Democracy, stupid

[alice wellintown]

At the risk of having another Carville label pasted to my posts,
surgically sliced into collateral damage, orphaned children, their
faces black, their lips squeezed tight and blue,  might I suggest that
the obvious focus on Iran often neglects to the obvious focus on
democratization. And, the obvious solution, to use diplomacy first,
and the courts, Iinternational Court, or the UN or some other body, is
no solution at all for, again, the fairly obvious reaon that ignores
democratization.

Joseph is arguing from his high ground. And who doesn't agree with him
on moral grounds? No one here, not even the strawmen Monte bakes up or
the shadowboxing phantoms of Joseph's lesser angels, whoever they are.

Many things motivate this US policy, that will soon send rockets into
Syria. Iran, of course, is a major one. The US policy in the region
for some 60-odd years, has been motivated by oil and Iran and
Israel...and so on. And the US policy is still fixated on Iran and
preventing Iran from gaining power and influence in the region, in the
world. Having a bomb will, of course, make Iran more powerful, so
preventing Iran from building a bomb is job one.

Bulding democracy in the region, has been a stated objective for some
time. How serious the US about this objective, how far down the list
of competing objectives this one sits is subject of intense debate.

Right now, looking at Obama and his motivation, his so-called
Pivot-plus policy has pushed the democratization objective so far down
the list that it is little more than a footnote, something Bill
Clinton talked about and Obama dreamed of but has competeley given up
on.

So, the moral high ground argument, so often attatched to the nobel
spread of democracy, whil a useful tool for critique of the US policy,
is obviously insigniicant to a discussion of ehat motivates current
policy.