A leap into the future...

[Javaman]

Now this will contain a lot of "what ifs" so bear with me.

Suppose moron* attacks Iran, destroying their nuclear plants, etc. Because if the recent article by Hersh, there has been all sorts of sword rattling by both the US and the Iranians.

What if, Iran doesn't attack us, but decides to use this opportunity to attack a third nation, like Israel? Israel attacked Iran once before, hitting their nuke plants in the past, correct?
Would an attack on Iran cause a much larger conflict?

And if it does, also at stake are the interests of France, England, Germany and China.

Do you think an attack on Iran would lead to larger devision between us and our traditional allies to the point that it would lead to possible conflicts with them?

Given the U.S. gov't's foreign policy or lack of one, do you think such an out come is possible?

[yurbud]

1. yep--the world will only tolerate one BS invasion.

[DrWeird]

2. I can't imagine a US attack on Iran...

without action between Iran and Israel, followed by Syria getting into the fray, and including nuclear and chemical weapons being used on civilian populations. That, I'd think, would certainly escalate to include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, among a few others.

Consequences for the United States would be dire. We'd end up losing the war, and economic sanctions, mostly from China, would be disasterous.

[Calvinist Basset]

3. We began the spiral to World War III

when Smirky the Chimp took office in 2001.

I suspect we're in for a thermonuclear disaster in this next term.

[The Magistrate]

4. A Small Correction, Sir

Israel did not attack Iran, but Iraq, eliminating a nuclear reactor about to start up there some twenty-odd years ago.

It is hard to say whether they would actually be a wider conflict, at least in terms of states, resulting from a U.S. attack on Iran. Iran lacks much in the way of real capability to attack Israel directly: they possess a few missiles with the requisite range, but their effects would be more symbolic than material. A more likely reposnse along anti-Israeli lines would be action by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon against the north of Israel. A more direct and useful response by Iran would be to summon a rising of Iraqi Shi'ites: this the Iranian government is certainly apable of doing, and it would have immediate effect in the rear of any U.S. action against Iran.

[MsConduct]

5. It's obvious that the b word only cares about what he wants...

any of those scenarios are possible.