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Things the U.S. Should Do in the Middle East

(CNN) Michael Rubin - If Obama wishes to convince the Iranians that his patience is not infinite, he should remove the two U.S. aircraft carriers which normally ply the Persian Gulf and redeploy them in the northern Indian Ocean. As Iran's generals know, the Persian Gulf is both narrow and shallow. Aircraft carriers have limited maneuverability in such tight corridors, can have trouble acquiring the wind speed to launch planes, and are vulnerable to swarming Iranian speedboats. Keep the U.S. destroyers and cruisers in the contested waters, but removing the carriers would enable the U.S. to strike at Iran, while keeping our most valuable platforms secure. Only such a move will convince Tehran that the time for defiance has ended. The Palestinians have received more aid per capita than any other people. If Singapore can thrive, so too can Gaza. Yet, as the two decade anniversary of the Oslo Accord nears, Palestinians have little to show for it. The problem is not Israel, but rather endemic corruption and a leadership that has promoted terror more than development; and incitement over education. As not only Hamas but also Fatah turn their backs on the agreements Arafat made to form the Palestinian Authority, they both demonstrate that they consider agreements ephemeral, not permanent. The writer is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and senior lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School.
2013-01-14 00:00:00
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