Gateway Pundit says that the report saying otherwise would probably seem preposterous except for how Obama is definitely lifting sanctions on Syria. Fair enough. But I’m not sure that Obama’s all but public plan to appease Syria will play out the same way as his highly anticipated plan to appease Iran.
Obama’s entire foreign policy platform rests on the idea that the threat of credible sanctions, coupled with “strong carrots,” can bring the Iranian regime to the table. Not that’s not actually true, as such. Iran uses Dubai and Venezuela to circumvent the sanctions regime. You can be sure of that because there’s Iranian satellite circling the earth right now that proves it. But that’s Obama’s argument nonetheless. He can’t start off by saying “sanctions don’t work so we’re not even going to try.” That doesn’t only take away what little leverage the US ostensibly has: it’s a de facto admission that the US has no leverage even in theory.
The foreign policy sophisticates now in charge of US policy aren’t out to intentionally weaken the US. They’re just so institutionally dysfunctional that they might as well be. So the sanctions will stay in place for now.
The Bush Treasury continued to designate new companies and individuals through the transition. Obama’s decision to let Stuart Levey stay on as Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence signaled he wanted that to continue. And besides – lifting Iran sanctions would require repealing the Iran Sanctions Act. It doesn’t expire until the end of 2011 and I don’t think it has a wholesale national security loophole. Now Obama is certainly capable of getting it repealed. But even The One and his Democratic Congress can’t get it repealed quietly – which is what this report says will happen – before the Iranian elections.
Someone got this wrong.
References and previously after the jump…
References:
* Breaking Intelligence Report: Obama to Drop Sanctions On Iran [Gateway Pundit]
* Obama preparing to lift sanctions against Syria [World Tribune]
* Syria: On Second Thought, We’re Gonna Wait A Few More Months Before Talking About A Peace Deal (UPDATED AND BUMPED: Assad Convinced By Malley Not Brzezinski?) [MR]
* Speaker Of Iranian Parliament: Of Course We Want Obama To Win [MR]
* New Iranian Reactor Online Within Months (Plus: This Week’s List Of Useless Sanctions And Talks) [MR]
* Iran using Venezuela ties to duck UN sanctions: report [AFP]
* Iran: Nuclear and space technological progress reached under sanctions [Ha'aretz]
* Marty Peretz: Based On All Available Evidence I Disagree With Susan Rice, Who Is Nonetheless Awesome In Every Way (Plus: Misguided Victim-Complex Paranoia On The Pro-Israel Right) [MR]
* U.S. Continues Sanctions Campaign Against Iranian Financial System [CT Blog]
* Further good news about Stuart Levey [Obama Mideast Monitor]
Previously:
* Video: Israeli Missile Defense Group Emphasizes Need, Technological Feasibility Of Anti-Missile Systems
* Obama: Since We All Know That Engagement With Iran Won’t Work, How About A US Nuclear Umbrella For Israel?
* Brzezinski: Israeli Campaign Against Iran Will Detonate US-Israel Relations
