In a time of domestic economic and political turmoil, it is my feeling that the U.S. would be better off with a humble foreign policy and should find some way to end its seemingly endless wars. Reports from the Middle East indicate no end in sight, as increasingly heated relations between Israel and Iran have led some to push for the U.S. to intervene.
Surprisingly, though, it seems that Iran may finally be backing down from its characteristic bellicosity, as President Ahmadinejad has agreed to prove that his nuclear program is entirely peaceful by sending Iran’s uranium to Western states like Russia and France to be converted into fuel, which would alleviate concerns that the program would be dedicated to bomb construction.
Despite the promising news, there are still doubts:
BBC Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne, reporting from London, says that even now there will be scepticism over whether this Iranian change of heart really means anything.
The US is pressing hard for new sanctions against Iran because of the nuclear programme, so this could well just be a case of the Iranian government playing for time, trying to weaken forces lined up against it, he says.
This is the first sign of peace from Iran in a long while, and this is timely news, since the West has too many problems at home to continue expending itself abroad. The U.S. Army itself is even going through a difficult period of transition, as it can’t even seem to definitely decide on whether it wants Muslims and homosexuals among its ranks.
Whether these movements are the results of the West’s addiction to political correctness, or this is all part of Iran’s mischievous plot to "weaken" our "forces" that Leyne suggested, I can’t say for sure, but either way, peace sounds good for now.
