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Source: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/iran-oil-and-carter-doctrine
Iran, Oil, and the Carter Doctrine
(Weekly Standard) - Michael Makovsky and Lawrence Goldstein There is a growing belief in Washington that a nuclear-capable Iran can be contained, just as the Soviet Union was during the Cold War. But while the U.S. could try to impose a nuclear shield around its regional allies and to help contain Iran, it will not be effective. U.S. credibility, so integral to effective deterrence, would be seriously diminished if, after repeatedly issuing warnings to the contrary, it permitted Tehran to cross the nuclear threshold. Restoring U.S. credibility would, then, require extraordinary action, while nuclear capability would only embolden the already risk-tolerant Iranian regime.