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Sunday, November 05, 2017

Isolation Risk

Oh just stop:

Recent actions by the Trump Administration and Congress on Iran could jeopardize U.S. political and economic interests. The president’s decision to decertify the Iran nuclear deal under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act and the House’s bipartisan bill passed last Thursday to impose sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program could isolate the U.S. by jeopardizing American companies’ access to new markets, and by causing a rift between the U.S. and European allies over economic interests. Aerospace and energy are two sectors in particular where American companies are at risk of losing massive amounts of business.

Where do people get these notions that don't pass a laugh test?

One, I'd rather not help Iran's logistics by selling them planes and I'd rather not help their oil exports to pay for mayhem around the Middle East. We'll deal with other countries providing that later, I hope.

And if a dispute between America and Iran over their nuclear ambitions leads America to sanction Iran, other countries will choose Iran rather than America because of economic interests, leaving us isolated?

America, with a GDP of over $18 trillion dollars versus Iran's $400 billion, or so--that's America by a factor of 45, if you don't want to do the math--is going to lose out to Iran when countries have to decide between the two? Really?

And if you are talking about worries over Iranian oil exports, America has that covered, too, for now at least:

Tankers carrying record levels of crude are leaving in droves from Texas and Louisiana ports, and more growth in the fledgling U.S. oil export market may before long test the limits of infrastructure like pipelines, dock space and ship traffic.

Oh, and with the best military in the world, allies want to risk our help by siding with Iran?

Some experts are scary in their myopia. Or something.