Snow Ball Of Regime Change In Iran Is Growing

Calls for regime change in Iran are up in the air. Not like it hasn't been there for a while since the aftermath of Iran's presidential election; but the fact that it is gaining a growing space in US main stream media and among a diverse group of intellectuals and policy makers, who vary from hardcore realists to neoconservative sympathizers, is very telling.

First it was the Newsweek piece by Ricard Haass titled Enough Is Enough. In this article, Haass, president of The Council on Foreign Relations, offers the following argument:

The nuclear talks are going nowhere. The Iranians appear intent on developing the means to produce a nuclear weapon; there is no other explanation for the secret uranium-enrichment facility discovered near the holy city of Qum. Fortunately, their nuclear program appears to have hit some technical snags, which puts off the need to decide whether to launch a preventive strike. Instead we should be focusing on another fact: Iran may be closer to profound political change than at any time since the revolution that ousted the shah 30 years ago.

Haass admits that "even a realist should recognize that it's an opportunity not to be missed".

In fact the last time Haass was involved in architecting an "Enough Is Enough" sort of approach, a regime was ousted in Iraq. That was back in 2003 when Haass was serving as State Department's Director of Policy Planning. His input was central to Secretary of State Colin Powell’s February 5, 2003 presentation to the United Nations Security Council, making the case for coercive regime change in Iraq. His Newsweek piece echoes the following line he helped formulating some 6 years ago:

“How much longer are we willing to put up with Iraq’s noncompliance before we, as a council, we, as the United Nations, say: ‘Enough. Enough’.”

Second comes Robert Kagan's monthly column in the Washington Post, in which he argues how Obama can reverse Iran's dangerous course.

Regime change is more important than any deal the Obama administration might strike with Iran's present government on its nuclear program. Even if Tehran were to accept the offer made last year to export some of its low-enriched uranium, this would be a modest step down a long, uncertain road. Such a minor concession is not worth abandoning the push for real change.
(...) Regime change in Tehran is the best nonproliferation policy...

Unlike Haass who subscribes to the realist school, Kagan was always close to the neoconservatives. He co-founded with William Kristol the Project for the New American Century, and co-signed the famous open letter to President Clinton on Iraq.

Kagan, says that Iran's post election moment is Obama's "tear down this wall" moment.