Iran Going Nuclear: The European Approach

Meanwhile, the Europeans continue their multi-year diplomatic dithering with Iran.

If the Iranians don't promptly sign some diplomatic agreement which they could promptly cheat on, the Europeans threaten to schedule further talks... or worse: pummel Iran with a UN resolution. If that doesn't cause Iran to come to its senses, the Europeans might be forced to resort to the "nuclear option": stiff economic sanctions! I know...I know...it sounds like the apocalyptic ravings of a mad-man, but some Europeans have actually proposed it. On the plus side, economic sanctions would allow politically-connected Europeans to make billions of euros helping Iran evade them, which might give a boost to European economies. Many of these people have been suffering financially since Saddam's oil-for-food bribery scheme was shut down.

In any case, we should listen to the Europeans and do what they say, because they have a really good historical track record of negotiating with dictators to prevent war. (Take a bow, Neville Chamberlain.)

Come to think of it, the last 100 years has only seen a dozen or so dictatorships in Europe, and just two cataclysmic wars. That's a pretty good record by any standard. However you look at it, the Europeans are real "pros" when it comes to successfully managing foreign relations, and preserving peace and liberty. The moral and political principles by which they operate clearly have worked, so we should just keep letting them do what they do.

UPDATE: According to the WSJ, British Foreign Secretary Neville Chamberlain [CORRECTION: British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw] stated the following in a Sunday BBC interview: "I understand people's frustration with the diplomatic process," Mr. Straw said. "It takes a long time and is quite a subtle process." Yes, it takes a long time -- in fact just long enough, for example, for Germany to re-arm; or long enough, perhaps, for Iran to successfully make a nuclear bomb. "Quite a subtle process"? Oh yes, that's diplomatic-speak for: "And during that really, really long time, it shows absolutely no results whatsoever."