Iran? or Iraq

Only one letter differs between the two countries, and as events unfold it seems that more similarities are arising. According to The Nation “A dangerous escalation of tensions in the Middle East could produce a devastating new war there (Iran) if diplomatic steps are not taken to head it off. The United States and Israel, with the cooperation of some European countries, have been stoking a climate of fear to justify a military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. At the very least, they seem determined to refer the matter of Iran’s nuclear program to the United Nations Security Council as a step toward imposing sanctions.
These words, or threats if you prefer, sound eerily similar to rhetoric I repeatedly heard before the US led invasion of Iraq in order to disarm their nuclear program. For those of us who have now forgotten, Nuclear disarmament was the original justification for the invasion, NOT promotion of freedom and democracy as now touted.
I do doubt a complete US led invasion of Iran due to an already overstretched military and an astounding deficit. But then again, I have learned to expect anything with this administration, so nothing would surprise me at this point. Iran, is an original member of the “axis of evil,” and always on the minds of neoconservative grand strategy for the Middle East. Shifting attention there is tempting to Administration hard-liners which takes focus off of the ongoing failure that is Iraq.
From the US perspective, I do not believe they fear Iran as a nuclear threat to the homeland, just as they did not from Iraq. However, a nation to which we give some 80% of our foreign aid, does feel a little squeamish. This is none other than Israel; who is justified in their fear of the Iranian nuclear program due to some recent comments by Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The leader has stated such things as: the holocaust is a “myth” Israel should move to Europe or Alaska, as well as the comment that Israel should be “wiped off the map.”
As a student of Diplomacy, this situation raises certain questions in my mind. One, why does modern US Diplomacy seem to prefer hard-line tactics such as sanctions (which can be just as deadly as bombs) and military threats? Two, why does the UN seem to be so silent on the issue? Finally, why is this nuclear apartheid accepted, where a select group of nations are entitled to such weapons while others seeking to acquire them are treated as “rogue states.” Is not the idea of US nuclear possession more threatening since it has actually used the atomic bomb and dropped more bombs than any other country throughout history?
Isaac Asimov once wrote “Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent.” Whatever the final resort is, we can only hope for a peaceful solution. Around 138 million people died as a result of war in the 20th century, I would hope the 21st century would allow humanity to further progress, even though the situation currently seems bleak.