Political Crossfire Forums

That argument is just a cop-out and a reiteration of what I've already said.

Yes, the US can crush anyone, assuming public support and a solid economy.

And then there is reality.

How is it a reiteration of what you said?

And it was a little more than just "economy and public support all that's needed for US intervention." Really the whole middle paragraph.

Me: "The US military machine could defeat Iran easily if the human, political and economic costs didn't matter... but they do. And the Iranian government is well aware of that and will plan accordingly."

We've been training the Iranian military for ten years. They are more than able to cause immense damage in an open state of war. Why do you think they haven't been knocked off yet?

The simple facts: all Iran has to do is make the oil markets seriously nervous, and the price will double. If it does any sort of actual damage, even to just civilian tankers, the price will triple. And if it decides to destabilize the region by dispersing chemical weapons to terrorists, with whom it shares incredibly resilient networks... well, that would be catastrophic to the global economy.

I mean, shit, all Iran has to do is draw Israel into a war, and the entire ME will go up in flames. You think jihadists are just gonna sit back and watch? The same guys who killed 3000 American troops? lol

tolerating children who kick the hornet's nest every now and then isn't an admission to their power.

The simple facts: all Iran has to do is make the oil markets seriously nervous, and the price will double. If it does any sort of actual damage, even to just civilian tankers, the price will triple. And if it decides to destabilize the region by dispersing chemical weapons to terrorists, or anything else similarly damaging, with whom it shares incredibly resilient networks... well, that would be catastrophic to the global economy.

I mean, shit, all Iran has to do is draw Israel into a war, and the entire ME will go up in flames. You think jihadists are just gonna sit back and watch? The same guys who killed 3000 American troops? lol

if they open a temporal rift, and let through darkseid'd legions from apokolips, then the price of oil will QUINTUPLE!

if galaga strikes we'll be seeing an over 9000% increase in the cost of oil

Another fine rebuttal. Truly a masterpiece in critical thinking.

http://blogs.fas.org/security/2013/05/w ... l-economy/

...

In October 2012, amid concerns that surprisingly little research addressed the potential broad outcomes of possible U.S.-led actions against Iran, researchers at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) assembled nine renowned subject matter experts (SMEs) to investigate one underexplored question that now, eight months later, looms larger than ever: What are the potential effects on the global economy of U.S. actions against Iran? Collectively representing expertise in national security, economics, energy markets, and finance, the SMEs gathered for a one-day elicitation workshop to consider the global economic impacts of six hypothetical scenarios involving U.S.-led actions.

The elicitation revealed the rough effects of U.S. action against Iran on the global economy – measured only in the first three months of actualization – to range from total losses of approximately $60 billion on one end of the scale to more than $2 trillion to the world economy on the other end.

The results of the elicitation were compiled into the FAS report written by Charles P. Blair and Mark Jansson, “Sanctions, Military Strikes, and Other Potential Actions Against Iran.”

Summarized below are three of the six scenarios along with the associated estimated range of costs to the world economy in the first three months of U.S. action alone.

Scenario: Comprehensive Bombing Campaign (upper bounds of estimated costs to global economy: $1.7 trillion)

The president, not wanting to leave the job half-done and fearing that a more limited strike may not achieve all of its objectives or at too high a price should Iran retaliate, opts for a more thorough mission. The United States leads an ambitious air campaign that targets not only the nuclear facilities of concern but also seeks to limit Iran’s ability to retaliate by targeting its other military assets, including its air defenses, radar and aerial command and control facilities, and much of Iran’s direct retaliatory capabilities. These would include its main military bases, the main facilities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the Iranian Navy, Army, and Air Force. The United States seeks to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains open by targeting Iranian capabilities that may threaten it.


But, hey, 'Merica!!!!!!