15 Ja Votes?
Probably not. Not when it comes to unanimity in the UN Security Council and when the issue is Iran. But that’s what some of Angela Merkel’s advisors are counting on. And this prospective image of a unified international community standing up to Iran is what she will be trying to sell to the US President during her second visit to Washington as Chancellor today and tomorrow.
Merkel believes that the international community can stand together in its dealings with Iran and compel the Teheran government to make concessions in its reckless nuclear policy by speaking with one voice - so to speak. The German government believes it can get a unanimous Security Council resolution through, condemning the Iranian government and thus isolating the mullahs significantly.
A unanimous resolution, okay, but most likely one that would be more than a bit watered down for American tastes. You know, what’s the use of speaking with one voice if it’s too weak for anyone to hear? And that’s the dilemma. Berlin believes that a tougher UN resolution would break up the resolution needed for the resolution and that Iran would then view this lack of unanimity as a sign of weakness.
This all makes perfect sense, of course. But unfortunately there are two big problems with her plan. These problems are called Russia and China. Neither country has the slightest intention of letting Teheran get off the hook here, not unless they can directly benefit from having done so, that is. And they are benefiting already. These countries see Iran as an excellent customer (nuclear technology from Russia) and a reliable partner (oil for China) and, better yet, as a formidable obstacle to furthering American influence in the region.
So this brings us back to the watered down version of the resolution again. If Russia and China are prepared to vote for it, you can bet that this is going to be one of the most disappointing drinks we’ve been offered in a long, long time. So I guess the million dollar question here is, if the US is ready to acquiesce and take a stance like this along with all the others, will anybody in Teheran really care? Probably not.
Comments
Merkel in Washington
Iran will be on the agenda, but the real purpose of the visit is to express her condolences for the US soldiers who will be shot or blown up with the weapons and explosives that the Iraqi terrorists have already purchased with the ransom money from the German government. Germany is not at war with the US, they are not that stupid. But they pay ransom to terrorists in Iraq and the Philippines, as it happended only a few years ago, to free German nationals. These funds are then used by the terrorists to buy whatever they need to kill locals and Americans alike. This is the new proxy-warfare.
Bernhard K. Kopp; May 4, 2006 1:03 PM
Behind the scenes of the diplomatic shmoozefest US and Germany have a lot of issues to solve: Boeing vs Airbus, Byrd Amendement, and the CIA flights, among others. Merkel can't reign against popular belief forever, esp since Bush is very unpopular in Germany.
Olaf; May 5, 2006 12:48 PM