You have a tyrannical country, rapidly attempting to acquire nuclear weapons that sponsor terrorism that threatens to destroy nations to prove a theological point. What do you do?
Do you: A) Ignore the situation try to make friends with the homicidal tyrants, and blame Israel or B) Do something about it?
If you answered B give yourself a pat on the back. If you answered A chances are you consider yourself a realist on foreign affairs. Realist foreign policy can be summed up concisely: Don't do anything that might cause change. It's the foreign policy school of thinking that says certain groups of people are incapable of democratic government. Tyranny is all they are suited for so we need to make the best of the situation.
This hasn't worked too well. Where we have embraced regimes that are dictatorial all it has done is come back to haunt us. We're not exactly popular in Middle Eastern countries where we have a cozy relationship with autocratic governments like Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The attempt to spread democracy is derided as utopian, and foolish. Better to make friends with the President for life. Never mind that such regimes are unstable, and that we are much more likely to have better relations with one that comes to power democratically.
When it comes to Iran the realist position is that Iran is a country we are not at war with and that has done us no wrong, and that Iran is a long way off from having their nuclear weapons. Iran sponsors Hezballah, one of the most murderous terrorist groups on earth; a terrorist organization that killed over 200 U.S. Marines. Iran doesn't chant "Death to America" because they think it will help them make friends with us, or they think it's a cool national slogan. They mean it. Iran is a very real threat. However there are too many that believe Iran is a country that we can do business with, even going so far as to suggest that Iran is a democracy as Richard Armitage did, Columnist Charley Reese once called Iran the most democratic country in the middle east and Michael Lind, of the New America foundation, suggested that the last presidential election in Iran was free and fair.
Never mind that the regime predetermined the election results ahead of time, that turnout was low because the Iranian people knew it was a fraud. Never mind that the guardian council disqualifies thousands of candidates who disagree with them. No, to the realists of the left and the right, Iran is a model of democracy. Just what reality are they living in though? Apparently their reality is one where the dreaded "neo cons" is more deadly than the Islamo-fascists that sponsor and commit terrorist acts.
The Administration is right to take a hard stand against the theocrats in Tehran. This is a regime that threatens to wipe out its enemies, seeks to destabilize a democratic Iraq, and has made "Death to America" part of it's national policy.
Iran is moving at an incredible speed to get nuclear energy, and it's not to light Tehran. Part of this is fear of its own people. The regime is so unpopular that the have to use Hezbollah goons to break up ant government demonstrations because they fear their own troops will not obey orders. Iran is ready for a counter revolution to overthorw the mullahs. Forget the realists that want to embrace the regime, forget those that suggest we should go to war with Iran. The people of Iran want real freedom. Freedom from a violent hate filled theocracy. It should be our policy to help them end this regime, whether it's "realistic" or not.
