What The Iran Deal Signifies And Why People Are Mad
President Obama and the P5 +1 powers (the western world, Russia and China) achieved exactly what they wanted with the Iran nuclear deal. Simply, the west is no longer opposing possible Iranian hegemony in the region through slow and gradual increases in cash and weapons along with retained nuclear facilities offset by inspection language to make sure American, European and Chinese interests are mutually assured.
Iran Deal Is A Signal
The west wanted this because Iran is the only reasonable substitute to control the disintegrating, unstable region in lieu of itself or ISIS, and the west didn’t want to get the job. They’d rather focus on the mounting problems within their own countries, and let the Middle East pave its own future. That’s unfortunate for our past and present “allies” in the region, but sadly history has shown they weren’t strong enough for the job of regional hegemony either.
The relationship with Israel is more complicated than other countries in the region, but essentially the west is telling them they’re on their own too. The price of engagement on behalf and against its existence over the course of 70 years was deemed to be too high. Because the EU would see the effects of a “nuclearized” Iran, this reveals they were least willing to engage in the middle east than anyone. Then again the last 15 years has shown us that.
Why People Are Mad
The administration can’t tell it like it is because foreign policy does not advance any political agenda and is loaded with buzzwords that can be demagogued. I can though, and this is common sense. When you need to leave someone in charge of a precariously, predictably unstable situation because you fully intend to leave, you support the entity who might have or has the best chance at keeping it all contained. This deal was never about avoiding war with Iran as much as it was about avoiding powerful engagement in the Middle East at all. The west has found their way to do it, and people who have a vested interest in heavy intervention in the determinism of middle eastern states from outside the middle east will not be happy.