In the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the beginning of WWII, tensions had been rising because of the expansionist policies of the Japanese through the 1930’s. The Japanese invasion of French Indo-China was one of the final straws for the United States.
This resulted in an embargo of oil by the United States of Japan which left Japan with only two years of oil in its reserves. There were other issues involved, but this embargo was a significant event causing the Japanese to start the planning for, what was to become, the attack on Pearl Harbor.
We are now tightening the embargo on Iran, hoping for them to toe the line on nuclear proliferation. We did the same thing with Iraq, and they gladly complied and became a strong international power for peace 😊 . I can still remember the face of Saddam Hussein coming out of his dirt hole, hiding place.
But, the point is, given the regional custom for bravado as demonstrated by Hussein and the Iranians, what is the potential for brow-beating them into submission, especially since we have been, and are now, limiting their ability to improve their country.
Would we stop our nuclear program if Russia threatened us or would that forment our resolve?
Does anyone like to be brow-beaten? So, what is the likelihood of this strategy being successful?
If Donald Trump were an educated person, he would be able to read and understand the lessons of history. It’s a shame that he can do neither.