quote:

Originally posted by Fir3start3r That's with any religious agenda though. Try and find me a church/mosque/temple who's goal doesn't include evangelism. Definately not, but that doesn't mean they certainly wouldn't try given the chance and their rantings. That's the whole confusing issue, they don't have the conventional forces to pull anything off (they know that) so the shortcut is nukes which again doesn't make any sense because as you pointed out, it'll be a cold war all over again. The ones over here don't publically call for the distruction of another country constantly...

Can I ask you what you think Iran's motives/plans are in the grand scheme of things?

What does Iran want???

quote:

Originally posted by George Smiley The PLO came out with similar rhetoric during the 70s/80s...now look at them...

and thankfully they're old news...

___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."

quote:

Originally posted by George Smiley Can I ask you what you think Iran's motives/plans are in the grand scheme of things? What does Iran want???

One would hope the Iranian government would want to help it's people but their actions simply aren't reflecting that.

If I could read their minds, believe me I'd love to, but that's the million dollar question isn't it? - What does Iran want?

Until then, all we have to go on is their actions and words which haven't been exactly encouraging.
I'd love to be wrong but it's up to them to prove that now.

___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."

quote:

Originally posted by Fir3start3r and thankfully they're old news...

Thankfully?

quote:

Originally posted by Fir3start3r and thankfully they're old news...

Old news?

quote:

Originally posted by Fir3start3r One would hope the Iranian government would want to help it's people but their actions simply aren't reflecting that. If I could read their minds, believe me I'd love to, but that's the million dollar question isn't it? - What does Iran want? Until then, all we have to go on is their actions and words which haven't been exactly encouraging. I'd love to be wrong but it's up to them to prove that now.

Imo, Iran wants what Saddam wanted. A sphere of influence in the Middle East. Power and influence. Any country in the world that operates under a different ideology/political system to Liberal Democracy is under threat from America (PNAC's own words). Iraq, Syria and Iran were/are all under threat from neoconservative "democratisation" (ie regime change). Iraq had been the neocon target for well over a decade and as soon as they got their chance, they took Saddam out (under the guise of the war on terror). Iran knows it is next (find me someone who disagrees!). However, Iran finds itself in a good position. With American forces stretched in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran knows it is safe for the time being. As soon as Iraq becomes stable enough for American military personel to be completely pulled out they will go straight into Iran (hence, imo, Iran's meddling in Iraq). The only way for Iran to prevent this is with a nuclear deterrent (see North Korea). Bare in mind what I think Iran's aim is (Middle Eastern dominance, which = power and influence on the global stage). And then consider what the result of a nuclear strike on Israel would be. Israel (and quite possibly America) would launch a second strike, completely annhilating Iran, and therefore ending any Iranian desires to dominate the Middle East (or convert the world to Islam if you believe that crap). A nuclear Iran would be quite capable of dominating the Middle East without battering an eyelid at Israel's existance. For the purpose of controlling the Middle East (oil supplies), Israel is insignificant.

Iran's leader is certainly a cocky little shit, but he is anything but "crazy" and he knows that making anti-Israel rhetoric is a great way to curry favour with the rest of the Middle Eastern populance (which in turn would make his ambitions to be the Middle Eastern 'superpower' that much more easier)

That's my opinion anyway

I wonder what Shimon Peres' New Middle East had anything to say.

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Wow, here's the understatement of the year...
(emphasis is mine)

quote:

Nasrallah sorry for scale of war Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has said he would not have ordered the capture of two Israeli soldiers if he had known it would lead to such a war. "Had we known that the kidnapping of the soldiers would have led to this, we would definitely not have done it," he said in an interview on Lebanese TV. He added that neither side was "heading towards a second round" of fighting. More than 1,000 Lebanese died in the 34-day conflict which left much of southern Lebanon in ruins. The Israeli offensive began after two Israeli soldiers were seized during a cross border raid by Hezbollah militants on 12 July. Annan visit "We did not think that there was a 1% chance that the kidnapping would lead to a war of this scale and magnitude," Sheikh Nasrallah said. "Now you ask me if this was 11 July and there was a 1% chance that the kidnapping would lead to a war like the one that has taken place, would you go ahead with the kidnapping? "I would say no, definitely not, for humanitarian, moral, social, security, military and political reasons. "Neither I, Hezbollah, prisoners in Israeli jails and nor the families of the prisoners would accept it." Sheikh Nasrallah was speaking on the eve of a visit to Beirut by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss the expanded UN peacekeeping force to be deployed in southern Lebanon. A force of 15,000 soldiers, 7,000 of them from European Union states, will be deployed to maintain the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The UN hopes to have some of the troops on the ground within a week, although the foreign minister of Finland - which currently holds the EU presidency - has said it will be two to three months before the whole force is deployed. The force will be led by France until February, at which time Italy will take command. Speaking in Brussels on Friday, Mr Annan said the plan would only work if the enlarged UN force, called Unifil 2, was "strong, credible and robust". Mr Annan said the force offered the possibility of a "durable ceasefire and long-term solution" to the Middle East crisis. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/...ast/5291420.stm Published: 2006/08/27 18:28:14 GMT

>>Source<<

___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."

quote:

Originally posted by Fir3start3r What would they care? They would all become martyrs in their holy Jihad anyways right?

eh, i know you don't mean that.

I think u should delete that post.

quote:

Originally posted by Abhay eh, i know you don't mean that. I think u should delete that post.

If you think I meant all of them; you'd be mistaken.
I was refurring to the extremists in control.

___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."

quote:

Originally posted by Fir3start3r Wow, here's the understatement of the year...

i know, who would have known that Israeli war crimes would be more plentiful and destructive than anything those Hezbollah 'terrorists' could be capable of