Hillary Clinton Threatens Iran, Insults Czechs

The disdainfully hawkish rhetoric Hillary Clinton has been using against Iran for some time now is beginning to reach a new brashness that irks both enemies and allies. According to CTK (The Czech News Service), Secretary of State Clinton spoke yesterday at a NATO summit in Brussels. Upon being asked by press about the likelihood of a continued radar project in Czech Republic and positioning of nuclear missiles in Poland, Mrs. Clinton responded by exalting the Czech and Polish people for agreeing to host U.S. military installations manning the Missile Defense System.

According to CTK, a February poll showed that 65% of Czechs surveyed vehemently opposed plans for the U.S. radar. Domestic opposition is reported to be even stronger in Poland.

Mrs. Clinton said "Missile Defense is a very important tool in our defense arsenal for the future." She added, "The Czech Republic and Poland were according to our opinion very visionary and to look out on the horizon, to see what awaits us if we are not be successful in the prevention of those wanting to obtain and develop these weapons of mass destruction." Mrs. Clinton's last phrase raised the specter of WMD's in Iran as she echoed former President Bush's assertion on the reason behind invading and occupying Iraq.

Missile Defense is the brainchild of still Secretary of Defense Robert and Gates and a key part of Bush administration policies. However, discussion surrounding the project dates back to 1997 when the Czech Republic and Poland joined NATO.

NATO was established in 1949 as a military alliance in face of the Soviet Union. Since the USSR's collapse, NATO has expanded to ____ countries and remains a deep international insult to the eastern Slavic state. The United States lobbied NATO in 2008 to grant Ukraine and Georgia membership but were rebuked by France.

Meanwhile, despite opposition at home, governments in the Czech Republic and Poland have pushed Missile Defense nearly into law by a 2008 SOFA (Strategic Operation of Forces Agreement) treaty with the United States. In addition, bills authorizing the radar and missiles are within their own parliaments. One bill that passed the Czech Senate authorizing the U.S. base and radar in Brdy, Bohemia (sixty miles southwest of Prague. has yet to be approved by the Czech lower assembly. The bill has languished without a vote call for over four months because it is expected to fail by a few votes.

Yet, Czechs are already seeing the benefits of imperial "partnership" when earlier this year the United States cancelled the long-held requirement of Czechs needing visas for temporary visits to the United States. In addition, the United States has cranked up its military commitment with the Czech and Polish armed forces. The Polish government has asked for a modernization of their air forces in exchange for the basing of missiles. The Czech Republic has already been offered several military incentives as well. Missile Defense remains a politically explosive issue for Central Europe.

Secretary of State Clinton has been highly critical of Iran, stepping up media events to shoot relentless moral exhortations at Tehran. Yet, the exhortations seem to carry little moral. Like the Bush administration, Obama's policy in regards to Iran has been much of the same. America continues to use ultimatum by news conference as Iran pushes ahead with what they claim is a peaceful civilian nuclear power program. Yet, it appears that trying the same methods of imperial push-shove won't budge the Ayllatolah.

A CIA-report released in November 2007 concluded that Iran ended its arms program in 2003 under pressure from Washington. President Obama now warns of the "clenched-fist" but has shown his "compassionate conservatism" by telling press he would use the carrot-and-stick strategy with Iran. What exactly the carrot-and-stick represents is unclear. But as Hillary Clinton so well put it, "if Iran fired missiles into Israel, they would be completely obliterated". Mrs. Clinton is the highest diplomat of the United States.

A spirit of detente would suggest it is nigh time the United States reopen diplomatic relations with Iran that have been severed for thirty years since the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in 1979. The CIA overthrew democratically-elected President Mossadeq and installed the Shah as dictator in 1953.

Nine nations own nuclear weapons. These nations include the United States, Russia, China, England, France, Australia, Pakistan, India, North Korea and Israel. While nations like Israel, India and France possess a few hundred, heavyweights United States and Russia still collectively hold nearly 30,000 nuclear weapons. At the height of the Cold War that number surpassed 100,000 weapons of mass destruction.

Moreover, the site of Central Europe as epicenter for 21st century militarization is without precedent and historical context. The Czech Republic and Poland are both former Medieval and Rennaissance kingdoms that have been displaced forcibly in the past under imperial rule. Former political unions controlling the destiny of the Czech Republic includes the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. From these precedents, many defense experts have long stressed the importance of a neutralized Central Europe as a key to peace. Unfortunately, not heeding this advice may make the United States the next imperial giant on that list.

Mrs. Clinton's comments lead many to believe she is unaware of the reality of the situation. Clinton continued to flex her muscle as head-imperialist, she said, "Europe has the right to protect itself from the threats of the 21st century." Maybe, what she really meant was "America has the right to use Europe to protect itself from the threats of the 21st century." But, maybe the truth of the matter is American militarization in Europe is the threat of the 21st century.