Is there a 21st century Neville Chamberlain in the wings who will promise us peace in our time. If so, how much “Lebensraum” do you suppose Iran require?

Unlike the alleged “threat” posed by Saddam in 2003, an Iranian-Israeli competition fueled by extremists on both sides with a Manichean view of world affairs and a naïve faith in the utility of violence poses a very real threat indeed. It is the threat of the collapse of perhaps the greatest pillar of international morality still standing in the barbaric 21st century: nuclear powers shall not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear powers. Should this pillar be toppled, should the unique double tragedy of Nagasaki-Hiroshima be repeated and, much worse, extended to include nuclear strikes against non-nuclear countries that have not attacked first, the whole world will suffer.

But these, of course, are just my opinions, and opinions are easy to spew out. It would be far more judicious if concerned Americans would spend more time thinking about the wide range of options that actually exist. Many methods exist that can help us take a careful look at the future and think about steps to create the future we desire. The hubris of the blind is not the only way.