Pray for (No) Rain

Do we smell an arms buildup? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went on the record Wednesday as suggesting a “defense umbrella” for U.S. allies in the Middle East if Iran succeeds in building a nuclear weapon, which would invariably lead to an increase—or “upgrade”—of arms as well as a step toward policies of that reek of Cold War-style containment.

The Guardian:

Hillary Clinton today outlined how the US may go about containing a nuclear-armed Iran by extending a “defence umbrella” to US allies in the region.

The US secretary of state, speaking on the way to a security summit in Thailand, later said she was not suggesting a new policy. But her comments marked the first time a senior US official has publicly contemplated the option of containment in the event of Iran’s succeeding in building a nuclear weapon.

Until today such an option was a taboo subject among US government officials and their British counterparts, who have insisted Iran would be ultimately stopped from constructing a warhead.

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EPA / Bazuki Muhammad

Hillary Clinton arrives in Thailand on Tuesday. She will attend the ASEAN security conference in Phuket, opening Thursday.