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Soccer Diplomacy with Iran?

Posted by Editors on

"We had ping pong diplomacy with China, and now we may soon engage in soccer diplomacy with Iran. Reports out of Tehran indicate that the US Soccer Federation has inquired about the possibility of holding a friendly with Iran sometime in October and November," writes Democracyarsenal.

America's next ambassador to Germany might come from the Board of Directors of the US Soccer Foundation... Germans are certainly going to support soccer diplomacy with Iran.

Atlantic Review has written about Soccer in German-American Relations. Also see these posts about the world cup in Germany to understand the importance of soccer to world peace: Germany's National Holiday and the "Summer's Tale" Documentary, U.S. Soccer Captain Praises Party Atmosphere in Germany and State Department Uses the World Cup to Improve U.S. Image.

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Joe Noory on :

I might suggest Cruise missile therapy at this point, but [url=http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=6090]it's too late[/url]. EU-3 intransigence has guarunteed that they will develop nukes unabated. The window on reversing that course is effectively closed.

Zyme on :

Thx to EU3, we might finally get a balance of power in the Middle East. Not the worst case I would say.

Pat Patterson on :

Israel has a population of 7.5 million while Iran alone has a population of 65 million. How exactly is the balance of power addressed by Iran getting weapons it has promised to use against Israel? And unlike Germay which can afford to claim to have a moral clarity on the issue while safely inside the NATO and French nuclear reservation where exactly does Israel stand if its ostensible allies think it is only "fair" that its sworn enemies have the means to make destroy it. The hypothetical question is whether Europe is actually willing to contemplate the Iranians having nuclear weapons vs only Israel?

Zyme on :

By aquiring nuclear weaponry, Iran moves up a big step at the ladder of deterrence. Before that happens, the country is effectively not able to keep Israel's airforce from conducting bombing raids. Numbers of population have little effect in this conflict, since it is not going to turn into a territorial conquest. But similar weaponry will enable both sides to enter a stage of bilateral stability similar to Pakistan and India. "The hypothetical question is whether Europe is actually willing to contemplate the Iranians having nuclear weapons vs only Israel?" Havn't you noticed that in surveys of the last decade, Iran has been perceived to be less of a "threat to world peace" than Israel or the US in Europe? for example: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,1022127,00.html http://www.financialexpress.com/news/germans-see-us-a-bigger-threat-to-peace-than-iran/103126/ Of course this may have changed as Obama took office and since Iran's nuclear programme has become more apparent. Apart from that though the fact that Israel is far from being transparent on their extent of nuclear armament doesn't add to their credibility here either.

Pat Patterson on :

And yet Pakistan has attacked India even when faced with numerically similar numbers before. And even now they are saber rattling over 1,000 Indian security guards in Afghanistan. It seems that the balance of power between Israel and some of its bellicose neighbors has been maintained at least for some 37 years even before it became common knowledge, or suspicion, that Israel possessed nukes. It won't be long before some of the actual targets of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey and Egypt, decide that maybe Israel had the right idea all along and begin a nuclear arms race with some very shady characters in charge.

Zyme on :

Yes the danger of an arms race is real. But then again, with which means short of an invasion can determined governments be stopped from gaining nuclear arms?

Pat Patterson on :

Pay them off as the US and Europe did for Russia and Ukraine! It seems logical that opposing sides might adopt MAD but doesn't that depend on both sides being rational and not actually promising out loud to destroy its enemies and glory in its citizens ascension to Heaven?

Pamela on :

"But similar weaponry will enable both sides to enter a stage of bilateral stability similar to Pakistan and India." Jeebus Zyme, what have you been smoking? Will you share some, please? If that is what you call 'stability' then I shudder to think what a 'hot zone' would look like. As for 'soccer diplomacy' between the U.S. and Iran, I propose we conduct an experiment. Make sure some of the U.S. players are Jews. Bring popcorn.

Pat Patterson on :

It appears that the name stealing has started again. Even though this is a duplicate I did not make this comment.

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