Blog #1-Mark Lampert

The push to control nuclear weapons programs has led to the containment of many nations in history, such as Iran and North Korea today and the Soviet Union in the past. The blog focuses on Iran, and how the United States and European Union are having “frustrating” talks with them, trying to get them to eliminate their nuclear weapon program. The United States and EU are growing impatient, not only because of the fact that Iran is researching nuclear weaponry, but because of Iran’s long standing feud with Israel. The US and Israel have long been allies, and Israel sees Iran’s nuclear weapon program as a threat to their national security. This, in turn, has led them to seek help from the US in order to stop Iran’s research and development of nuclear weaponry, with economic sanctions currently in place.

 The concept of nuclear weapons to many is frightening, and understandably so. Anything that has the power to destroy cities in a single blow is certainly scary. However, atomic weaponry has only been actually used in one war, by the USA, on Japan during World War II. This is important to realize, because although the USA claims good intentions and says it just wants the world to be a safer place, it is only trying to contain Iran’s program to secure its own power and satisfy Israel. This is good if you are an American, but not so good if you are a citizen of Iran who is caught in the crossfire.

Iran is also important because it is a major supplier of the world’s oil, which the USA is heavily dependent on. If people think gas prices are bad now, if the situation with Iran escalates, gas could easily jump to around 5$ a gallon. This is important not only because of foreign policy of containment on Iran, but because of the domestic implications as well. As most people are aware, 2012 is an election year, and how people feel about gas prices can directly effect who may be president at the end of November. It is certainly not the deciding factor, but it will weigh on people’s decisions, and many will blame Obama for rising gas prices, along with the already bad economy.  It begs the question: How important are gas prices to your vote?

Another important thing to consider on the USA relations with Iran is the possibility of getting involved in another war. As the war in Iraq comes to a close, I don’t believe the American public is ready for another war, but that is what this situation could come to. We are containing Iran’s nuclear program because we see it as a threat to us, for oil (as described above) and for war. If something threatens the United States power, we are going to respond to it, which can be a double-edged sword. I believe it is important for our leaders to demonstrate restraint and diplomatic talks when necessary to avoid another war, one that neither our economy nor our people could handle at the moment. Containing Iran is simply easier than fighting them, which is why containment happens so much more often. Right now, the American public’s faith in government is down, and the situation in Iran, if handled the right way, could go a big way towards restoring some of that faith.

Link to blog that was analyzed: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/222523-modest-progress-and-an-open-door-with-iran