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The Iranian Regime's Political Opponents Would Back Sanctions

[Los Angeles Times] John P. Hannah - If current negotiations falter, international efforts to curtail Iran's nuclear program may escalate to the imposition of "crippling sanctions" or even the use of military force. A crucial question is whether such punitive measures would help or hinder the popular uprising against the Iranian regime that emerged after the country's fraudulent June 12 presidential elections. Few analysts doubt that if it succeeded in toppling Iran's hard-line regime, the crisis over the Iranian nuclear program would become far more susceptible to diplomatic resolution. Before June 12, conventional wisdom suggested that both harsh sanctions and military action would likely strengthen the Islamic Republic by triggering a "rally around the regime" effect. But today, popular loathing of the regime has reached such levels that almost any outside action that further squeezes Iran's tyrants will be welcomed. The last thing on their minds is defending an indefensible regime in the face of tough international sanctions. The writer, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, served as national security advisor to former Vice President Dick Cheney.
2009-10-15 06:00:00
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