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As the late Barbara Tuchman, the eminent historian, explained in "The March of Folly," certain types of belief have consistently led to national disasters. These include "not allowing oneself to be deflected by the facts," self-imprisonment in the "we-have-no-alternative argument," and "underestimation of the opponent." Are these themes operative with respect to war with Iran, as they were in the run-up to the disastrous Iraq war? ››read more

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has worked himself into a lather over Iran’s blocking of a Foreign Office website. He says: “I condemn this action by the Iranian Government. ‘UK for Iranians’ was launched to reach out to Iranians, explaining, discussing and engaging with them on UK policy. ››read more

Russia and Armenia spoke out on Monday against possible Western military action against Iran, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warning of “very serious” consequences for regional security during a visit to Yerevan. ››read more