Charles Krauthammer Calculates War on Iran

Charles Krauthammer is a right-wing columnist who writes for the Washington Post. On Friday, September 15, he published a chilling column that reveals, from an insider perspective, the calculations in the U.S. ruling class and the Bush crew in particular that are pushing them towards an attack on Iran.

See coverage of the danger of war with Iran in recent articles in Revolution!

The articles in recent issues include:

Krauthammer begins his column by referring to George Bush’s Sept. 11, 2006 speech where Bush said that we cannot “leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons.” Decoding this, Krauthammer points out, “There’s only one such current candidate: Iran.”

Krauthammer writes that Bush told reporters from the reactionary magazine National Review: “It’s very important for the American people to see the president try to solve problems diplomatically before resorting to military force.” And, again making the terms of things clear, Krauthammer notes that “‘Before’ implies that the one follows the other. The signal is unmistakable. An aerial attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities lies just beyond the horizon of diplomacy. With the crisis advancing and the moment of truth approaching, it is important to begin looking now with unflinching honesty at the military option.”

Then, Krauthammer goes on to itemize the downside—as he sees it— to a U.S. attack on Iran. Krauthammer’s calculus does not take in, or consider, the two great horrors that would result from a U.S. attack on Iran. He does not “calculate” into his ledger the death and suffering of countless innocent people. Nor is he concerned about the fact that a U.S. attack on Iran would further polarize the world between the “alternatives” of U.S. imperialism or Islamic fundamentalism.

But Krauthammer does calculate, from the perspective of global capitalism, that “The costs will be terrible.” He poses that an attack on Iran would likely trigger a huge increase in oil prices that “will cause a worldwide recession.” He writes that “Iran will activate its proxies in Iraq, most notably, Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army,” and that while the U.S. can muster enough military force to wipe out opposition from forces like Sadr in Iraq, “Many Iraqis [Krauthammer is referring to U.S. puppet troops of the occupation regime] and coalition soldiers are likely to die as well.” Krauthammer further worries that “There will be massive criticism of America from around the world,” although he generally poo-poos this as a problem.

Krauthammer coldly concludes: “These are the costs. There is no denying them. However, equally undeniable is the cost of doing nothing.” And Krauthammer goes on to summarize why the U.S. must attack Iran (and in doing so he summarizes the current direction of those at the head of the U.S. ruling class now). If the U.S. does not smash Iran now, “[J]ihadist Iran will gain control of the most strategic region on the globe.”

Krauthammer ends his column by framing a timeline for all this: “The decision is no more than a year away.”

This peek into the minds of those running the U.S. poses again, with real urgency, the need for a different alternative to push its way onto the world stage.

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