Europe aids Iran, Russia and China in looming arms race

[Cooky]

A United Nations ban on the sale of weapons to Iran is set to expire in mid-October despite a last-ditch effort by the Trump administration to renew it.

Without the arms ban, Russia and China are poised to bolster their already close military alliances with Iran, selling the country stockpiles of advanced weapons that will be available to the Islamic Republic's terror proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both countries have sold Tehran arms in the past—including aiding its nuclear endeavors—and have been clear in recent months about their desire to amplify the relationship.

European nations have already rejected the United States' bid to indefinitely extend the arms embargo and are now opposing further efforts to restore all sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The stalemate at the U.N. Security Council has decimated the United States' historically close relationship with France, Germany, and the U.K.

Looming Middle East Arms Race Sparks Fear of Unprecedented Regional War

...What is your position, and why?

 

[columbus]

...What is your position, and why?

Iran needs high powered weapons to protect themselves from the USA.

We Americans could change that.
We started to, a few years ago. But that changed when the Republicans took more power.
Tom

 

[Cooky]

Iran needs high powered weapons to protect themselves from the USA.

We Americans could change that.
We started to, a few years ago. But that changed when the Republicans took more power.
Tom

What makes an Islamic theocracy trustworthy enough to have access to an extensive stockpile of high powered military grade weapons in your opinion?

Will it make the world a safer place?

 

[sun rise]

Trump pulled out of the agreement that might have stopped Iran and is now whining that they won't pretend we're still in it. The problem sits in Trump's lap because he's the one that broke the agreement.

 

[Cooky]

Trump pulled out of the agreement that might have stopped Iran and is now whining that they won't pretend we're still in it. The problem sits in Trump's lap because he's the one that broke the agreement.

Nevermind Trump. The U.K., France and Germany are helping Russia and China gain strength by allowing Iran to increase it's military strength...

...These (China and Russia) are expansionist, aithoritarian regimes... Just like Iran. Why does Europe choose to aid authoritarian regimes?

 

[Cooky]

What is the purpose in Europe's 'letting go' of the weapons ban at this point?

...I'm not understanding the thinking.

 

[metis]

What makes an Islamic theocracy trustworthy enough to have access to an extensive stockpile of high powered military grade weapons in your opinion?

"Inspections".

 

[Rival]

I really wish folks would stop saying 'Europe' like it's a country.

 

[Cooky]

"Inspections".

Inspections of what?

Essentially ending the weapons ban allows an authoritarian, oil-rich theocracy, friends with Russia and China, to build military might... "Inspections" of what they're essentially permitting makes no sense to me.

 

[Cooky]

I really wish folks would stop saying 'Europe' like it's a country.

I didn't want to. The only reason I went with that was to prevent the title from being too long... But at the same time, I want non-American opinions, so I had to word it a specific way.

 

[metis]

Inspections of what?

...Essentially ending the weapons ban allows an oil-rich theocracy, friends with Russia and China, to build military might. Inspections of what they're essentially permitting makes no sense to me.

According to our own intelligence, the inspections in Iran by the signatories said they were complying. Now we don't know because we pulled out.

Thus, the reality is Iran is a more dangerous country now that a few years ago, and we've gained nothing back in return. And much the same is true with North Korea, btw.

 

[Altfish]

What makes an Islamic theocracy trustworthy enough to have access to an extensive stockpile of high powered military grade weapons in your opinion?

Will it make the world a safer place?

What makes Trump's America trustworthy enough?

 

[Cooky]

According to our own intelligence, the inspections in Iran by the signatories said they were complying. Now we don't know because we pulled out.

Thus, the reality is Iran is a more dangerous country now that a few years ago, and we've gained nothing back in return. And much the same is true with North Korea, btw.

Please re-read the OP. This has nothing to do with inspections of any kind. This is about allowing an international law to expire this coming October.

 

[columbus]

What makes an Islamic theocracy trustworthy enough to have access to an extensive stockpile of high powered military grade weapons in your opinion?

It isn't.
But neither is Israel, China, Pakistan, France, the USA or any of the other nuclear tipped governments.

Except Great Britain, they're a bunch of weinies. They can have them safely.

I don't want any government to have access to these horrors.

The difference is that Iran has been under attack by the world's sole remaining nuclear superpower, which has actually used nuclear weapons, for decades. The USA government put them on a hit list 20 years ago. Then started attacking the countries that didn't have a nuclear defense, while subsidizing the one that did.
The current U.S. regime has made it clear that we will attack them given any opportunity.

But when Iran gets their nukes we'll stop. The U.S. government has made that clear through their actions.

Will it make the world a safer place?

Nope.
But it won't be much more dangerous than the status quo. If we really wanted to make the world safer, the U.S. would stop the arms race.
But we won't.
Tom

 

[Cooky]

What makes Trump's America trustworthy enough?

• Multiculturalism
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of religion
• 2nd chances
• Education
• Foreign aid
• Civil rights

...The list can get pretty extensive, if you want to cover every positive quality of the United States.

 

[Augustus]

What is the purpose in Europe's 'letting go' of the weapons ban at this point?

...I'm not understanding the thinking.

Europe isn't 'letting go'. It's a UN resolution that expires and the extension will be vetoed by China and Russia regardless. There is nothing to 'let go' of.

European countries are against the idea that America should get special treatment and be allowed to claim authority to act under the terms of an agreement it voluntarily chose to withdraw from.

 

[columbus]

• Multiculturalism
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of religion
• 2nd chances
• Education
• Foreign aid
• Civil rights

...The list can get pretty extensive, if you want to cover every positive quality of the United States.

How does this make us trustworthy?

We launched a war against Iran back in the 80s. About a million people died. All those things were as true then as now. How does this make us more trustworthy than the Reagan administration USA?
Tom

 

[ecco]

The stalemate at the U.N. Security Council has decimated the United States' historically close relationship with France, Germany, and the U.K.

Perhaps the Europeans feel that since we (Donald J. Trump) pulled out of the treaty with Iran, they have no reason to do our bidding.

 

[ecco]

Why does Europe choose to aid authoritarian regimes?

Why do you choose to support an authoritarian president?

This is about allowing an international law to expire this coming October.

If the "law" was set to expire in October, 2020, what are the reasons it should be reinstituted?

 

[Cooky]

Europe isn't 'letting go'. It's a UN resolution that expires and the extension will be vetoed by China and Russia regardless. There is nothing to 'let go' of.

European countries are against the idea that America should get special treatment and be allowed to claim authority to act under the terms of an agreement it voluntarily chose to withdraw from.

I don't see how the resolution ever passed in the first place, if it's considered a useless attempt to try and extend it.

What reason is there for the Western world to allow an arms build-up of a Chinese/Russian ally such as Iran? Because Iran didn't build an atomic bomb means they're responsible enough to buy billions of oil-dollars worth of military grade weapons?

...I don't get this 'throw in the towel' attitude towards world stability.