The backing to this post is the video below. The point of the video, in a single sentence, is that Iran is now fighting ISIS, which is a good thing. They are fighting ISIS because Iran is Shiite and ISIS is Sunni. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Who cares. I certainly don’t.
Ron Paul asks the question, very basic. If Iran is fighting ISIS, shouldn’t Israel send her a thank you note?
Well, yes, they should. It should be hand written by Netanyahu with profuse apologies for badmouthing the Iranians. No, not because the Iranians are good amazing great liberty-focused people. But because it would be good for peacemaking and dialing back the possibility of bombs flying and people here and in Iran getting killed who have nothing to do with a spat between loudmouthed warmongering schmucks like Netanyahu and Khamenei.
Why is it that when I or someone like me even suggests that Netanyahu, instead of drumming up war fever on Capitol Hill, write a nice letter to Zarif or Khamenei, just thanking them for fighting ISIS, or for saying that Iran doesn’t want to nuke Israel? It would be nice. A nice thing. Maybe it would calm things down. Maybe it would decrease the chances of war by 1%.
Are there security concerns against sending a letter, for God’s sake? What is wrong with talking? Why do Jews, especially, under Netanyahu’s or AIPAC’s spell insist that peaceful overtures to Iran are the worst possible thing that anybody can do, and anyone who even suggests saying nice things instead of war language is a sympathizer with terrorists?
Here’s what I want, from the Israeli government, to the Iranian government:
Dear Persian People,
Hello, Benjamin Netanyahu here. I realize I’ve been such a dick lately, but it’s because I’m really worried about your nuclear program and the words of your past president Ahmadinajad. I believe he said something about wiping Israel off the map, which made me nervous and upset. Could you explain that please? Maybe I misheard, or misread. But I recently read that your Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif said he does not want to nuke us. That was very nice, and I appreciate it. I also read that you are now fighting ISIS on your borders. I thank you for that. I offer Israel’s financial assistance and intelligence cooperation if you wish. It could be discreet, you wouldn’t have to tell anyone.
I would like to invite you to chat on the phone about this any time, and perhaps we could have a meeting on Skype about how to mutually tone down the rhetoric, and perhaps we could save our countries a war or two. Let me know!
Sincerely Yours,
Bibi
Does this mean Israel has to ignore the nuclear program? No. It simply means Israel should make peaceful overtures, because it’s a nice thing to do. That’s it. Can we do that?
No, because someone will accuse me of sympathizing with ISIS now. Even though IRAN IS THE ONE FIGHTING ISIS RIGHT NOW.
The Jewish Libertarian 
America fights Islamic terrorists = America is evil, bombing the world, bases everywhere, causing terrorism.
Iran fights Islamic terrorists = Iran is good, send it a thank you note.
This is what being “anti-state” and “anti-war” means nowadays, apparently.
According to your ostensible “logic” we should be condemning Iran for being evil imperialists and fighting wars (religiously motivated wars no less!) that have nothing to do with them and what not, but no, because your logic is not “war is bad”, it’s “America is bad whatever it does, Americas enemies are good whatever they do” which is the weird dead end that Rothbardianism has ended up in.
Anyway, if we should be sending a thank you note to anyone, it should be to ISIS, since they have never attacked us, whereas we have fought three wars with Iranian backed militias in one decade. But there is really no reason to thank either of them.
“Heh, Iโm a cynical guy”
Except when it comes to Iranian and Russian state propaganda.
In answer to your question on another thread I am 27.
Gavriel, your comments up to now have been a little challenging. This one is your first really stupid comment. You’re jumping too quickly. America fighting ISIS is evil, first, because America created ISIS by arming it. But mostly because ISIS is not threatening America. America is across an ocean on the other side of the world.
ISIS is actively INVADING Iran, and ON the Israeli border, and ON HAR HABAYIT. Therefore, Israel should send them a thank you note for helping out.
That you cannot distinguish between offensive and defensive wars is yours, and other neocon’s main problem.
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I don’t know where this came from, but it sounds useful to me. ๐
The truth is I think your blog has indeed changed dear Leibish’s attitude towards our foreign policy somewhat. I can’t say whether your tone is overly belligerent (towards the commenters) for a neocon visiting your site for the first time but it’s definitely way overboard for someone like Leibele, who has heard what you have to say, adjusted his attitude accordingly, but still disagrees with you on a whole bunch of fundamental issues.
P.S. I’m so lucky to have found someone like Leiby. I feel like a new woman.
Mazal Tov on your wedding, and yes, I am overly belligerent sometimes. See response to Leibish.
I like the letter. Mr. Beigelstein is not necessarily wrong on one count; the result might be to “inflame” the situation, but only because statists and bureaucrats are involved. In the real world of preferences and actions Iran does not respond, individuals do.
In our political world, however, anything might be exploited and spun for political gain. Iranian, Israeli and American politicians do it all the time to get people’s attention off the deprivations of domestic bureaucracy. The bureaucracy that is used to hide real accountability for theft, extortion and killing really must end if there is to be any peace.
Good point. Perhaps the letter can be rephrased not to say that it benefits Israel, but just to be as conciliatory and polite as possible given the current situation. All theoretical anyway, unless by some miracle someone like me is in charge of the country.
rafi, it’s interesting since I know (older) Jews that are living relatively peacefully in Iran. I wonder what would happen if Bibi would send such a letter. It won’t ever happen so we’ll never find out…
[I’m glad to here Iran’s fighting ISIS. They may be the only country capable of taking them down]
The Iranian regime will not appreciate Israel thanking them for fighting ISIS. Such a letter would certainly cause them to hate Israel even more, for even suggesting that they might be helping them. It might even cause them to stop fighting ISIS, in order to avoid helping Israel. Push comes to shove, whatever influence the rhetoric coming from Israel might have on Iranian government decisions, the regime’s hatred for Israel is mainly because it’s perceived as secular. And when an enemy thanks you for doing their dirty work for them, it can only irritate a fellow.
Leibish,
There’s a saying in Hebrew. ืืื ืืกืืจ ืืืฆืื ืืช ืขืฆืื ืืืืช ืืืกืืจืื. A prisoner cannot release himself from prison. So too, a Jew under the spell of AIPAC propaganda cannot see how ludicrous his own statements are. You are telling me that Iran, if they get a nice letter from Israel, would cease fighting ISIS, the people who are threatening their rule, because they hate Israel so much that they would stop defending their own borders for the mere chance that defending themselves may help Israel peripherally.
You’re saying Iranians are so hateful and stupid that not only are they suicidal, but they are so stupidly suicidal that they don’t understand now that Israel benefits from them fighting ISIS. Iran is so astoundingly mind-numbingly idiotic that only upon receiving a letter would they suddenly realize that Israel benefits from them fighting ISIS, and only in response to this nice letter would they lay down arms and let ISIS invade their country, just because they hate Israel so much.
That is insane, hateful, racist against Persians, Jewish Supremacist-sounding, and stupid. There’s nothing else to say.
Sir, you do not know me. You always read the most negativity possible into the comments I have posted here, under various names. I don’t read your posts just to argue with them, you know. I read them because you often have thought-provoking things to say. The letter thanking for saying they don’t want to bomb Israel might be a good idea (and might not be). Not all of my comments are even arguments.
The letter thanking for doing Israel’s dirty work for them, though, is definitely a bad idea. The line about it making Iran change its mind about fighting ISIS was a rhetorical technique known as “taking the point to an extreme” according to my three Ph.D.s in rhetorics. I like to talk, that’s why I brought that thingie up. All other points I brought up stand true, whether or not you agree with them.
P.S. I got married today. That’s why I changed my name. You will notice that my website remains unchanged, as does my gravatar.
P.P.S. OK, OK, I didn’t get married today. Fine.
Heh, I’m a cynical guy and overly belligerent when it comes to war. I guess I’m compensating for the belligerency of the other side for trying to draw people into a nuclear conflict. I don’t accuse you of that directly, but the mentality of not sending peaceful overtures is very disturbing to me.
Economic policy I get less belligerent about (at least I think). I apologize for being overly belligerent, and wish you a mazel tov on your wedding!