Peace in Our Time?

Neville Chamberlain showing off  the agreement reached with Hitler in 1938

I was proud of this country when back in 2008 it elected its first black President. I still am. At the time, I was willing to give this man a chance to prove he was as great and inspiring as his supporters said he was.

However, my pride in this country is overshadowed by my disappointment in the man himself. Barack Obama has just succeeded in funding the world’s greatest exporter of terror to the tune of 100 billion dollars.

Iran is a country that as recently as a few days ago was chanting ‘Down with America’ and ‘Death to Israel’.  A country known to have been supplying Hamas and Hezbollah with rockets aimed solely at Israel. A country that supplied military aid to the Houthi  (Shiite Muslim) rebels that overthrew the elected government  of Yemen. (Which has resulted in chaos over there.) A country that trains people how to be terrorists and/or financially supports terrorist training camps. A country that has promised to wipe Israel off the map and has done everything it can to support those who are trying to do that. A country that took 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days .A country that still holds Americans hostage.

The deal just agreed to with Iran will lift sanctions and free up that 100 billion dollars in frozen assets. Which they will no doubt put to ‘good’ use spreading terror and their version of Islam.  And their message of hostility to the United States and annihilation of the Jewish State.

The sanctions relief will provide even more revenue for them in pursuit of those goals. Just allowing them to sell their oil abroad will provide additional billions for them. Both sides agree that their terror spreading activities and goals are not part of any agreement.

And what do we get in return? We get to inspect – some – of their nuclear facilities to make sure they are not enriching uranium to weapons grade capacity. Military facilities are off base. Iran can do whatever it wants there and no one will have access to them.  They will reduce – most – of the stockpiles of enriched uranium. Not all. The infrastructure to do that will still remain, although the number of facilities will be reduced.

There’s more. From ABC News: 

The nuclear accord states that five years from now Iran will be able to buy and sell conventional arms on the international market, and in eight years it will be allowed to do the same with ballistic missiles. 

The claim by the administration is that this deal will effectively block Iran from the ability to pursue nuclear weapons. But I don’t see how a dismantling - some – of its reactors and reducing - some - of its uranium stockpile will assure that.  Nor do I see how the inability to inspect their military facilities at will - will assure that.

Iran is very happy now. Iranians are dancing in the streets. The economic hardships Iranians are now experiencing will soon be is over. The sanctions will be lifted and Iran will be able to start doing business with the world. And increase their wealth.

I don’t see anyone in America dancing in the streets. This deal is a very good one - for Iran. But it is a very bad one for the US. A deal that is structured like this seems worthless. If and when they do develop nuclear weapons at those military facilities, they will have the means to deliver them to all of America’s allies in the Middle East. In the meantime their spread of terror will continue unchecked and well funded.

But none of this has fazed the President and his European partners. They actually believe that we now have peace in our time. I hope they are right. But I don’t have much confidence in that. Have these people learned nothing from history?

I’m sure that the European powers in British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain’s era felt the same way. Chamberlain made a  deal with Hitler in Munich.  If Europe allowed him to take over the Sudetenland part of Czechoslovakia, Hitler promised that he would not go to war. Chamberlain arrived back in England waving that document at the crowd that greeted him and said the following: 

The settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem, which has now been achieved is, in my view, only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace. This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine. Some of you, perhaps, have already heard what it contains but I would just like to read it to you: ' ... We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.' 

Later that day he stood outside 10 Downing Street and again read from the document and concluded: 

My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Go home and get a nice quiet sleep. 

Substitute a few names and titles and Secretary of State John Kerry could be seen saying the same thing when he lands back in Washington.

Is this your message, Mr. President? Forgive me if I am a bit skeptical here. It is true that Khameni is not Hitler. And present day Iran is not 1939 Germany.  But even if Iran is not the threat Germany was in the 30s does that mean we should ignore a bad deal with a country such as this? In 1939, no one thought Hitler would dishonor a treaty one year after he signed it. Can we say with certainty that Iran’s Khameni will not eventually do the same? All while being allowed to pursue the annihilation of Israel and its current course of spreading terror all over the world? Is the piece of paper about to be signed by the US and its allies worth any more than the one Hitler signed? I hope so. But I wouldn’t bet on it.

Congress is about to review that deal. I’m not sure whether they have the power to cancel the deal after they review it. But I hope so. And then I hope the sanctions are increased to the level that is so devastating that its people finally revolt and restore their country to the pre- revolution era which at the time was in the middle of bringing Iran into the 20^th century.