Mearsheimer and Walt to be interviewed on Ian Masters' 'Live from the Left Coast' program today at 1

Mearsheimer and Walt to be interviewed on Ian Masters' 'Live from the

Left Coast' program today at 12 Noon (US west coast) can listen via

http://www.kpfk.org as well. Should also be eventually be archived at

http://www.ianmasters.org

Mearsheimer and Walt to discuss their new book (The Israel Lobby and

US Foreign Policy) at the UCLA associated Hammer Museum in Westwood

(Los Angeles) this coming Tuesday (September 18th at 6 PM - access the

'appearances' link via http://www.israellobbybook.com for additional info if

interested further):

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim Moran's Mouth, Again

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091401542.html?sub=AR

justicequest2000 wrote (in the comments section associated with the

above Op-Ed appearing in the Washington Post today):

Can I assume that Mr. King hasn't even read the new book (The Israel

Lobby and US Foreign Policy - see israellobbybook.com) by respected

political science professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt about

the power/influence of the pro-Israel lobby (AIPAC, JINSA, etc) and

how it pushed for the attack on Iraq and has been doing similar to get

US to attack Iran. Can I assume that Mr. King also hasn't read the

third edition of former Republican Congressman Paul Findley's 'They

Dare to Speak Out' book either. Mr. King might be interested in

accessing the following URL as well which conveys how CBS '60 Minutes'

is refusing to do a segment about the Mearsheimer/Walt book:

http://www.warwithoutend.co.uk/zone0/viewtopic.php?t=78398

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following was just sent to me by a respected journalist in

response to what I sent him below as I am in touch with him on a

regular basis:

It all reminds me of the walk up to the Iraq war. The Bushies went on

saying no decision about war as tens of thousands of US troops arrived

in Kuwait for the invasion. Bushies kept referring to U.N., as Bush

41's team did too for last six months of 1990.

Next issue (9/24) of The American Conservative has a piece by Justice

Logan headlined -- ONCE MORE INTO THE BREACH; the Neocon Propaganda

Machine Rolls Toward Iran.

US says 'all options' on table with Iran, but prefers diplomacy

by Jitendra Joshi 3 minutes ago

The United States will stick to diplomatic and economic pressure to

force Iran to halt its nuclear drive, but "all options are on the

table," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday.

Interviewed on Fox News, Gates also said the United States would have

a "real problem" if Syria and North Korea are collaborating on a

nuclear program, but refused to confirm reports to that end.

Asked if President George W. Bush would consult Congress before

launching any strikes on Iran, Gates said he would not be drawn on

"hypotheticals."

"I will tell you that I think the administration believes at this

point that continuing to try and deal with the Iranian threat ...

through diplomatic and economic means is by far the preferable

approach," he said.

Iran vehemently denies Western allegations it is seeking an atomic

weapon, saying its nuclear drive is aimed at providing electricity for

a growing population whose fossil fuels will one day run out.

"We always say all options are on the table," Gates said. "But

clearly, the diplomatic and economic approach is the one we're

pursuing."

The five permanent Security Council members -- Britain, China, France,

Russia and the United States -- plus Germany are due to meet to

discuss a new draft UN resolution on sanctions against Iran on

September 21 in Washington.

The United States has never ruled out taking military action against

Iran but on Friday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

brushed off the notion that it could now threaten the Islamic

republic.

He said that Bush had been defeated in his Middle East plans and would

one day stand trial for "atrocities" committed in Iraq.

The US and Iranian envoys to Baghdad have held two rounds of landmark

talks in Baghdad on Iraqi security this year, but Khamenei's comments

underlined the degree of enmity that remains between the two sides

just on this issue.

Washington also accuses Iran of providing sophisticated weaponry to

Shiite militias in Iraq, and Syria of turning a blind eye to

infiltration of its borders by Sunni insurgents, charges both

governments deny.

Announcing a limited pullout of troops from Iraq on Thursday, Bush

demanded that Iran and Syria end attempts to "undermine" the

government of insurgency-wracked Iraq.

The top US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, last week

accused Iran of fighting a "proxy war" in Iraq through the covert

operations unit of its elite Revolutionary Guards.

But the Pentagon chief ruled out using US forces to chase Shiite

extremists in Iraq over the Iranian border.

"First of all, there's a question of just how much intelligence we

have in terms of specific locations and so on," Gates said on Fox.

"But beyond that, I think that the general view is we can manage this

problem through better operations inside Iraq and on the border with

Iran -- that we can take care of the Iranian threat ... inside the

borders of Iraq.

"Don't need to go across the border into Iran."

Gates refused to confirm the veracity of leaked intelligence reports

suggesting that North Korea may be helping Syria build a nuclear

weapons facility.

"But all I will say is we are watching the North Koreans very

carefully. We watch the Syrians very carefully," he said.

"If such an activity were taking place, it would be a matter of great

concern because the president has put down a very strong marker with

the North Koreans about further proliferation efforts and obviously

any effort by the Syrians to pursue weapons of mass destruction would

be a concern.

"I think it would be a real problem," Gates said.

A senior North Korean diplomat has dismissed the reports of nuclear

collaboration with Syria, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said

Sunday.

And Syria angrily denied as US "lies" suggestions that it was

receiving nuclear material from North Korea, after foreign media

reports that Israeli warplanes had launched an air strike on a

possible joint nuclear project.

Gates declined to comment on the reported Israeli raid. Syria says its

air defenses fired on Israeli warplanes that had dropped munitions

deep inside its territory in the early hours of September 6.

-----Original Message-----

Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2007 11:28 AM

Subject: Gates: U.S. pursuing diplomacy with Iran

C-SPAN opened its 'Washington Journal' broadcast this morning with

discussion about that Sunday Telegraph article on Bush setting the

stage to attack Iran. Then an article was mentioned which appears in

the latest addition of US News and World Report, but I couldn't find

it via the http://www.usnews.com URL yet.. Have you seen it.. US News should

really have a disclaimer mentioning that Mort Zuckerman is an ardent

Zionist when it comes to discussion of Israel and issues related to

Israel!. AP just moved the following about Gates:

Gates: U.S. pursuing diplomacy with Iran

21 minutes ago

The Bush administration is committed, for now, to using diplomatic and

economic means to counter the potential nuclear threat from Iran,

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday.

Speculation has persisted about preparations for a military strike

against Iran for its alleged support for terrorism and its nuclear

program.

Gates, in a broadcast interview, said he would not discuss

"hypotheticals" about what President Bush "may or may not do."

"I think that the administration believes at this point that

continuing to try and deal with the Iranian threat, the Iranian

challenge, through diplomatic and economic means is by far the

preferable approach. That's the one we are using," the Pentagon chief

said.

"We always say all options are on the table, but clearly, the

diplomatic and economic approach is the one that we are pursuing," he

added.

The diplomatic approach takes center stage at a conference in

Washington on Friday. The U.S. hosts the U.N. Security Council's four

other permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia - plus

Germany to press for new penalties against oil-rich Iran.

These countries have sought for almost two years to use punishments -

actual or threatened - to persuade Tehran to drop disputed nuclear

work. Two rounds of mild penalties have not slowed or stopped the

activities.

Washington has been the chief proponent of world sanctions against

Iran, while Russia, which has trade and military ties to Iran, has

proved the most reluctant member of the coalition.

The U.S. contends Iran's nuclear power program is a cover for

developing weapons. Tehran insists it wants to master the technology

to meet future power needs.

The administration is expected to soon blacklist a unit of Iran's

Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, subjecting part

of the vast military operation to financial penalties. The step would

be in response to Iran's involvement in Iraq and elsewhere.

Last week, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, told

reporters he had solid evidence, including the explanations of

captured Iranian agents, to support his claim that Iran was behind

lethal attacks in Iraq. Petraeus warned Congress that the U.S. already

was fighting a "proxy war" with Iran.

Gates spoke on "Fox News Sunday."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bush setting America up for war with Iran:

http://tinyurl.com/2rt7dg

Proxy war could soon turn to direct conflict, analysts warn (US

strikes on Iran predicted as tension rises over arms smuggling and

nuclear fears):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0%2C%2C2169798%2C00.html

Julian Borger and Ian Black

Saturday September 15, 2007

The Guardian

The growing US focus on confronting Iran in a proxy war inside Iraq

risks triggering a direct conflict in the next few months, regional

analysts are warning.

US-Iranian tensions have mounted significantly in the past few days,

with heightened rhetoric on both sides and the US decision to

establish a military base in Iraq less than five miles from the

Iranian border to block the smuggling of Iranian arms to Shia

militias.

The involvement of a few hundred British troops in the anti-smuggling

operation also raises the risk of their involvement in a cross-border

clash.

US officers have alleged that an advanced Iranian-made missile had

been fired at an American base from a Shia area, which if confirmed

would be a significant escalation in the "proxy war" referred to this

week by General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq.

"The proxy war that has been going on in Iraq may now cross the

border. This is a very dangerous period," Patrick Cronin, the director

of studies at the International Institute for Strategic Studies,

said.

Iran's leaders have so far shown every sign of relishing the

confrontation. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared

yesterday that American policies had failed in the Middle East and

warned: "I am certain that one day Bush and senior American officials

will be tried in an international court for the tragedies they have

created in Iraq."

In such circumstances, last week's Israeli air strike against a

mystery site in northern Syria has triggered speculation over its

motives. Israel has been silent about the attack. Syria complained to

the UN security council but gave few details. Some say the target was

Iranian weapons on their way to Hizbullah in Lebanon, or that the

sortie was a dry run for a US-Israeli attack on Syria and Iran. There

is even speculation that the Israelis took out a nuclear facility

funded by Iran and supplied by North Korea

The situation is particularly volatile because the struggle for

influence threatens to exacerbate a confrontation over Tehran's

nuclear ambitions.

The US has called a meeting of major powers in Washington next Friday

to discuss Iran's defiance of UN resolutions calling for its

suspension of uranium enrichment. It comes amid signs that the Bush

administration is running out of patience with diplomatic efforts to

curb the nuclear programme. Hawks led by the vice-president, Dick

Cheney, are intensifying their push for military action, with support

from Israel and privately from some Sunni Gulf states.

"Washington is seriously reviewing plans to bomb not just nuclear

sites, but oil sites, military sites and even leadership targets. The

talk is of multiple targets," said Mr Cronin. "In Washington there is

very serious discussion that this is a window that has to be looked at

seriously because there is only six months to 'do something about

Iran' before it will be looked at as a purely political issue."

US presidential elections are due in November 2008, and military

action at the height of the campaign is usually seen by voters as

politically motivated.

Vincent Cannistraro, a former CIA counter-terrorism chief who is now a

security analyst, said: "The decision to attack was made some time

ago. It will be in two stages. If a smoking gun is found in terms of

Iranian interference in Iraq, the US will retaliate on a tactical

level, and they will strike against military targets. The second part

of this is: Bush has made the decision to launch a strategic attack

against Iranian nuclear facilities, although not before next year. He

has been lining up some Sunni countries for tacit support for his

actions."

US and British officials have complained to Iran about the use by Shia

militias in Iraq of what they say are Iranian-made weapons. The main

concern is the proliferation of roadside bombs that fire a bolt of

molten metal through any thickness of armour, which the officials say

must have been made in Iran.

A US military spokesman in Baghdad, Major General Kevin Bergner,

raised the stakes when he said the 240mm rocket that hit the US

military headquarters outside Baghdad this week, killing an American

soldier and wounding 11, had been supplied to Shia militants by Iran.

Gen Bergner used to work in the White House, where he was aligned with

administration hawks, and his dispatch to Baghdad was seen by some as

a move to increase pressure on Iran.

"There are an awful lot of lower level officers who are very angry

about the deaths from explosively formed projectiles said to come from

Iran. There is a certain amount of military pressure to do something

about this," said Patrick Clawson, the deputy director for research at

the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "That said, it is very

difficult for us to do anything without much better evidence. In that

respect, border control is a sensible solution."

Any US decision to attack Iran would force Gordon Brown to choose

between creating a serious rift in the transatlantic alliance and

participating in or endorsing American actions. British officials

insist that Washington has given no sign it is ready to abandon

diplomacy and argue that UN sanctions are showing signs of working.

They point to the resurgence in Iran of Hashemi Rafsanjani, seen as a

pragmatic counterweight to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Hopes that a new war could still be avoided have also been boosted by

Gen Petraeus's claim that Iran's covert Quds force alleged to be

supporting Shia attacks on coalition forces had been pulled out of

Iraq. If true, it could be that in the stand-off between the US and

Iran, Iran has blinked first.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 'proxy war': UK troops are sent to Iranian border

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2953462.ece

British soldiers return to action as tensions between US and Iran

grow

Published: 12 September 2007

British forces have been sent from Basra to the volatile border with

Iran amid warnings from the senior US commander in Iraq that Tehran is

fomenting a "proxy war".

In signs of a fast-developing confrontation, the Iranians have

threatened military action in response to attacks launched from Iraqi

territory while the Pentagon has announced the building of a US base

and fortified checkpoints at the frontier.

The UK operation, in which up to 350 troops are involved, has come at

the request of the Americans, who say that elements close to the

Iranian regime have stepped up supplies of weapons to Shia militias in

recent weeks in preparation for attacks inside Iraq.

The deployment came within a week of British forces leaving Basra

Palace, their last remaining base inside Basra city, and withdrawing

to the airport for a widely expected final departure from Iraq.

Brigadier James Bashall, commander of 1 Mechanised Brigade, based at

Basra said: "We have been asked to help at the Iranian border to stop

the flow of weapons and I am willing to do so. We know the points of

entry and I am sure we can do what needs to be done. The US forces

are, as we know, engaged in the 'surge' and the border is of

particular concern to them."

The mission will include the King's Royal Hussars battle group, 250 of

whom were told at the weekend that they would be returning to the UK

as part of a drawdown of forces in Iraq.

The operation is regarded as a high-risk strategy which could lead to

clashes with Iranian-backed Shia militias or even Iranian forces and

also leaves open the possibility of Iranian retaliation in the form of

attacks against British forces at the Basra air base or inciting

violence to draw them back into Basra city. Relations between the two

countries are already fraught after the Iranian Revolutionary Guards

seized a British naval party in the Gulf earlier this year.

The move came as General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, and

Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, made some of the strongest

accusations yet by US officials about Iranian activity. General

Petraeus spoke on Monday of a "proxy war" in Iraq, while Mr Crocker

accused the Iranian government of "providing lethal capabilities to

the enemies of the Iraqi state".

In an interview after his appearance before a congressional panel on

Monday, General Petraeus strongly implied that it would soon be

necessary to obtain authorisation to take action against Iran within

its own borders, rather than just inside Iraq. "There is a pretty hard

look ongoing at that particular situation" he said.

The Royal Welsh battle group, with Challenger tanks and Warrior

armoured vehicles, is conducting out regular exercises at the Basra

air base in preparation for any re-entry into the city. No formal

handover of Basra to the Iraqi government has yet taken place and the

UK remains responsible for maintaining security in the region.

The Iraqi commander in charge of the southern part of the country,

General Mohan al-Furayji, said he would not hesitate to call for

British help if there was an emergency.

While previous US military action has been primarily directed against

Sunni insurgents, it is Shia fighters, which the US accuses Iran of

backing, who now account for 80 per cent of US casualties.

For the British military the move to the border is a change of policy.

They had stopped patrols along the long border at Maysan despite US

concerns at the time that the area would become a conduit for weapons

into Iraq.

The decision to return to the frontier has been heavily influenced by

the highly charged and very public dispute with the United States.

British commanders feel that they cannot turn down the fresh American

request for help after refusing to delay the withdrawal from Basra

Palace. They also maintain that the operation will stop Iranian arms

entering Basra.

Brigadier Bashall said: "We are not sitting here idly at the air

bridge. The security of Basra is still our responsibility and we shall

act where necessary. We are also prepared to restore order in Basra

City if asked to do so."

The US decision to build fortifications at the Iranian border, after

four years of presence in Iraq, shows, say American commanders, that

the "Iranian threat" is now one of their main concerns.

Maj-Gen Rick Lynch, commander of the US Army's 3rd Infantry Division,

said 48 Iranian-supplied roadside bombs had been used against his

forces killing nine soldiers. "We've got a major problem with Iranian

munitions streaming into Iraq. This Iranian interference is troubling

and we have to stop it," he told The Wall Street Journal this week.

Meanwhile at a conference in Baghdad on regional co-operation, Iran

claimed the US was supporting groups mounting attacks from Iraqi

territory in the Kurdish north.

Said Jalili , Iran's deputy foreign minister, last night said: "I

think [the US and its allies] are going to prevaricate with the truth

because they know they have been defeated in Iraq and they have not

been successful. And so they are going to put the blame on us, on the

other side."

C-SPAN 'Washington Journal' viewer calls about Mearsheimer/Walt and

the coming war with Iran:

http://www.itszone.co.uk/zone0/viewtopic.php?t=78398

Anti-Iran hype reaches fever pitch

By Khody Akhavi

http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/II12Ak01.html