AMERICANS WARY OF IRAN

What will America do about the ruthless mullahs? Nothing.

Why? In part because, as Eli Lake demonstrates, American experts have never figured out the Persian puzzlement and because, as Michael Ledeen points out, the administration would rather not see evil clearly or it would have to do something about it and it would rather not.

In this the administration reflects the mood of the American people. We are much too busy with our own troubles at the moment and two wars are plenty, thank you very much. Mention Iran to an American on the street and he will say,"It is very unstable there." Mention it to a friend and they will say:"Those people are crazy. The less we have to do with them the better." Those people include the entire Muslim world.

This is the way Americans felt about post World War I Europe. Then, the exception was Finland, because Finland alone repaid the US the loan Washington extended it during the war. Today, it is not lost money that riles Americans but lost lives. The truth is that there is nothing the average American would love better than to pull up his draw bridge and let the world go to pot. It deserves it.

Anyone who underestimates the isolationist sentiment in the US, does it at his/her own peril. Hence, the Iranians best hope for freedom lies in the soft power of intellectual sympathy, hard Arab (especially Saudi) cash and, most importantly, raw grit.