MUNICH — Vice President Joe Biden reached out to the international community Saturday, saying the U.S. is open for talks with Iran and Russia to repair relations, and it is willing to work with allies to solve world problems.

But in his first major foreign policy speech for the new administration, Biden also warned that the U.S. stands ready to take pre-emptive action against Tehran if it does not abandon its nuclear ambitions and support for terrorism.

And while he said it is time to mend fences with Moscow, he said the U.S. continues "to develop missile defenses to counter a growing Iranian capability."

The speech got high marks from world leaders in the audience at this annual security conference.

"I think Vice President Biden came to Munich today in a spirit of partnership," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband told AP Television News. "I think he set an ambitious agenda with big goals and high objectives, and he called and challenged us to work with him. I think that's the right spirit."

http://www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_11656450


Ok, raise your hand if you're ready for another conflict in the Middle East.

Just saying...because Iran will not suspend the nuclear program.

It's the grandaddy of all, Iran , with 70 million people highly supportive of their government and ready to do whatever.
Either way, this entire deal with Iran and nukes and terrorists is a giant BS, just an excuse to start another war.
Just saying..

Pick a fight with Iran and r pick a fight with china, their hand in hand! Since you can't buy anything here not made in china or one of its sister countries were screwed if we go to war, and if we don't Iran WILL strike with nuclear threats to all its neighbouring countries! What's a broke government to do?

I wish that all of the conflict in the Middle East would just stop.

Iran has been asking for it. They need to back off or step up and take it.

A reminder of Teddy Roosevelt's foreign policy.

Speak softly and carry a big stick!

Offer to talk to your enemies but let them see you possess the means to annihilate them if need be.
Hoping this is enough to make them more agreeable to your position without the need to annihilate them.

It's the grandaddy of all, Iran , with 70 million people highly supportive of their government and ready to do whatever.


Actually the Country is Pretty Divided! it's a Love Hate Relationship with the Govt. about Half Love the Govt. and the rest Hate em! I Know this Cause i Have Friends who are From Tehran.

Attack them, and you will unite them all in one cause. See Soviet Union in WWII.

What's the big deal? I say it is the Israelis problem, not ours.

And it was Eisenhower who said:
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."

Sometimes I wonder if going to war with Iran is avoidable at all? The American military-industrial complex is a well-oiled machine, well-versed in deceiving the American people. In an age where war has become profitable, no nation or people is safe.

Iran has been 100% compliant with UN nuclear facility inspectors. UN reports said that Iran, even if it were to get the enriched uranium to increase its nuclear energy capacity, would be years away from developing a nuclear weapon. What's more, even if Iran develops nuclear weapons, it would not drop them on Israel. Israel has between 75-100 nuclear warheads, so unless Iran wants to be wiped off the face of the Earth, nuking Israel is a no-go.

Probably, the best course of action to end the tension in the Middle East is to work extremely hard at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Arabs will support the US and won't have any new reasons to hate the Israeli government.

Hopefully, Obama doesn't wait until the last months of his term like the past few presidents did to deal with this issue.

Way off-topic but...here goes my rant:
Concerning the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza Conflict --

Even Hamas wanted a ceasefire, at least until Israel broke the recent ceasefire by bombing Palestinian trade tunnels (which were smuggling mostly food and medical supplies). (And by the way, the tunnels existed in the first place because Israel was not living up to its end of the bargain in allowing enough humanitarian aid past its blockade. This resulted in starvation and death.) Hamas, of course, responded the only way it could without losing support - Hamas responded with some missiles (which killed less than 10 people). What was the Israeli reaction? A full-scale invasion resulting in the death of thousands. Already, the Palestinians were starving...now this?

...I'm probably about to become very unpopular in these forums though. T_T What I'm writing is totally off the US party-line.

Imagine you invited me to your house for dinner to discuss some business. Half-way into the discussion, I told you I had a gun in my pocket and that if you don't do what I say, I'll shoot you. You'd be willing to do what I said...but only grudgingly, right? And if I went to the bathroom, you'd probably get your gun and shoot me right away, correct?

Now, is this the kind of international environment you want your kids to live in? One of threats and coercion? It's ridiculous. We're treating everyone like a bunch of idiotic, blood-thirsty dogs who only understand the lash of the whip. I wish we could remember that we're dealing with human beings, not mindless brutes. I wish we'd think for a second how we'd feel if the roles were reversed. Finally, I hope we'd come to the conclusion that the old-hashed "do it or we invade" stuff isn't the best way to do things - it can only breed animosity.

The media lies about Iran. Iran has not said they want to wipe Israel of the map. Things like these are taken out of contents on purpose. In that culture, there is constant quarrel over what to do about Israel aggression. It is customary to bring this subject up in warrior speeches, and promise to retaliate by "wiping it off the map". This is where those promises were taken from. While this may-be savage governmental behavior on their part from our point of view, it is none of unthinkable. Web forums in this very country are full of "nuke em all" and "turn em ragheads into a glass parking lot" calls. This is simply how stupid people communicate a primitive thought. They have that on every level in Iran, so what?

Iran is almost done with their oil. If they don't build enough power plants to substitute nuclear power for oil, they are going to have to cut their sales back.

Besides, what pisses me off is that Israel did not have to ask anybody if they are going to have nukes or not. But, for some reason, Iran has to beg for what others just take.

*nod* I'm totally burned about that. None of the European countries were willing to accept many Jewish refugees in the aftermath of the Holocaust. So...what, feel guilty about it and let Israel do what it wants? I'm sure there's more to it than just that, but really...

What's even more Ironic is that Arab countries accepted tons of Jewish refugees when European countries wouldn't. Israel turns its back on that kindness, marches in to Palestine guns-a-blazing, stealing land and killing people. And *they say that the land was largely uninhabited* when they got there. No wonder most Arabs don't think much of the Israeli government. No wonder Hamas, the only party in Palestine that isn't in the pocket of the Israeli government, got elected. And the Israeli government thinks continuing to mistreat the Palestinians will fix the problem? How idiotic.

If you stab yourself with a pen and you realize it hurts, would you keep doing it for 60 years? I guess the Israeli government doesn't realize what they're doing hurts themselves and their people.
"Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing." Lol...

What - a preemptive strike in the face of perceived nuclear threat?? Sounds like Iraq to me.

Does Israel have nuclear weapons?

Israel has never admitted a nuclear capability, but defense analysts have concluded that Israel has the most extensive and sophisticated nuclear arsenal outside of the major powers.

Talented physicists came to Israel from Europe as a result of World War II, and after Israel was founded as an independent state in 1948, immediately launched the nuclear program. Since Israel was surrounded by much larger Arab states hostile to its existance, it was essential to develop a nuclear deterrent as the ultimate line of defense.

During the 1950's Israel and France collaborated to bring both into the atomic weapons club. A research reactor was built with the assistance of French engineers at Dimona, in the Negev desert of southern Israel near Beersheba. In December 1960, before the reactor was operational, it was revealed by US intelligence. Israel announced that it was for "peaceful purposes" only and denied nuclear weapons intentions. During the 1960s, the US and Israel sparred over inspections and, it is believed, Israel evaded US attempts to limit the program. The US was not supplying Israel with arms or any security guarantees so Israel had no incentive to sacrifice its defense capability to meet US demands.

In 1962 the Dimona reactor went critical, and the French helped build a plutonium plant, believed to have been completed in 1964 or 1965. The security at Dimona (officially the Negev Nuclear Research Center) is stringent, supporting its military purpose. There is little doubt that some time in the late sixties Israel became the sixth nation to manufacture nuclear weapons, perhaps producing three to five bombs a year.

Nuclear collaboration between Israel and South Africa seems to have developed around 1967 and continued through the 70s and 80s. During this period South Africa was Israel's primary supplier of uranium for Dimona. It is unknown what role Israel had, if any, in the September 22, 1979 nuclear explosion in the south Indian Ocean which is widely believed to have been a joint test by Israel and South Africa.

Israel never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the 1968 international agreement designed to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, a fact that has often been used by opponents to criticize Israel. But, Israel has few options for strategic defense against the massive capabilities of its enemies, including Saddam Hussein's Iraq and their Scuds. While signing the treaty would eliminate a propaganda tool against Israel, the loss of the weapons would be too high a price for Israel to pay.

I Say More Power to them if they Do

Is this not what we did with Iraq for 10 years? Is it suddenly different now that it's not Bush?

double

Nice to see a photo, Andrew.

Russians are bringing online an Iranian nuclear reactor.

read it here:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1061938.html


Will USA launch a pre-emptive strike against Russia too? Because it has to. They are going to be there (russians) when the nuclear plant goes online, so do you think it's wise to throw around words like Biden, that "if Iran doesn't stop it's nuclear activity , we will launch a pre-emptive strike" ?

What is this, if not war-mongering?