YESTERDAY, I noted new reports of an Iran/Al Qaeda connection and wondered if skeptics of the Iraq war would be calling for an invasion of Iran. Now, in response to those reports, Brad DeLong writes: “And where is our counterstrike against the Iranian government? It is now, by my count, some 1030 days overdue.”
While I’m glad to see DeLong recognizing Iran’s membership in the Axis of Evil, I agree with Pejman Yousefzadeh that it’s hard to figure out what this means. Is Kerry likely to do this? Would DeLong support Bush if he did this? What kind of counterstrike? No doubt further thoughts will be forthcoming.
UPDATE: David Pinto emails:
I posted this in the comments to Brad DeLong’s 1030 Days post, but I thought you’d be interested:
An attack against Iran will be much easier now since we can force them into a two front war, attacking from both Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe this has been the strategy all along.
We’ve done a pretty good job of surrounding potential trouble makers. Pakistan has the US on one side and India on the other. Iran has the US on two fronts. And Syria has the US and Israel on two fronts. Not a bad strategic maneuver.
Gee, do you think they had that in mind all along?
ANOTHER UPDATE: More thoughts on the strategery involved, here. Do you think the plan has been misunderestimated?
Meanwhile, here’s more news on Iran:
An Iranian general collaborated with al Qaeda to arrange the transit through Iran of nine of the September 11 hijackers, the Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported on Monday.
“A general in the apparatus (Revolutionary Guard) coordinated with the number two man in al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri, to provide ‘safe passage’ to around nine of those who carried out the attacks,” the London-based paper said.
Can you say “counterstrike?” Brad DeLong can!
Still more on the master plan, here, via the Naval War College. And reader Joel Finch emails:
To concur with David Pinto, I have always considered the Iraq war, coupled with Afghanistan, as a strategy against IRAN, and that the benefits which came along with it (seed of democracy, Saddam on trial, etc.), secondary. I think to any halfway informed individual, Iran is the ultimate reforming goal. I do believe, the strategy has been “misunderstimated”.
It is interesting to put this stuff on a map, and I’m surprised we haven’t seen more press analysis along these lines. But Michael Ledeen has a piece out today, and he’s not gloating as much as, well, I might have. Well, maybe he is: “What a surprise! Terrorists at Iranian military bases! Who ever would have imagined such a thing?”
MORE: Gerard Van Der Leun has the maps that illustrate what’s going on.