American Influence? How Did It Work Out in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan?

UN Security Council

Michael Dolan abuses the Iran deal by pointing to waning American influence in the Middle East as a result. But what has taking the hard line gotten America in previous regional wars like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan?

Here’s the quote:

We shredded the six United Nations Security Council resolutions that ordered the Islamic Republic to abandon all enrichment and reprocessing activities. We exposed fractures in the coalition against Iran. And we started building a global economic lobby that is dedicated to eroding the sanctions that we have generated through a decade of hard, very hard, diplomatic work.

That’s the price that we can see clearly before our eyes. But I also wonder whether there were hidden costs—in the form of quiet commitments to Iran by third parties. . . .

But a hidden cost that is more easily verified is the free hand that the United States is now giving to Iran throughout the region. . . .

Whether he realizes it, Obama has now announced that the United States cannot be relied upon to stand up to Iran. Therefore, Israel and our Arab allies will be forced to live by their wits. Some actors, like the Saudis, will prosecute their proxy war with Iran with renewed vehemence. Others will simply hedge. They will make a beeline to Tehran, just as many regional actors began showing up in Moscow after the Syrian chemical weapons deal. American influence will further deteriorate.