In debate over Iran deal, both sides invoke the potential for war

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NEED TO KNOW:

The debate over the historic deal the Obama administration struck with Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons is getting heated. Obama's team has the summer to convince the US Congress to approve the deal. And there is no rest for the weary. This week the arguments on both sides have come down to the potential for war.

One side says a vote for the Iran deal is going to spark a global arms race for nuclear weapons. The other side says a vote against the Iran deal is comparable to having voted for the Iraq War, and everyone should know by now what a catastrophic mistake that was.

The side fighting against the deal with Iran is being led by Israel and its powerful American lobbyists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long framed Iran as an existential threat to Israel, mostly because of public statements by some of Iran's most-conservative leaders about Israel.

Israel is hardly united, though, in its rejection of the deal. Its own intelligence agency appears to disagree with Netanyahu about the degree of the threat from Iran. And the Israeli president this week said Netanyahu was being “overzealous” in his objections. Still, US lawmakers are under huge pressure from Israel's supporters in America, and it's forcing the Obama administration to work overtime.

In a speech on Wednesday, Obama said the debate over the Iran deal is the most consequential foreign policy discussion the United States has had since the decision to invade Iraq.

“Many of the same people who argued for the war in Iraq are now making the case against the Iran nuclear deal,” Obama said. “The same mindset, in many cases offered by the same people, who seem to have no compunction with being repeatedly wrong, led to war that did more to strengthen Iran, more to isolate the United States than anything we have done in the decades before or since.”

WANT TO KNOW:

Myanmar is under water right now. Monsoon rains have caused dangerous levels of flooding in 12 of the country's 14 regions. Myanmar President Thein Sein has declared the Irrawaddy Delta, the worst-hit area, a disaster zone. The floods have so far displaced hundreds of thousands. Dozens have been killed.

Many of the displaced are living in tent camps or sleeping in monasteries. Once the floods recede, there will likely be little left of value in the homes they left behind. The United Nations calls this a “double catastrophe” because the floods are devastating areas that are already deeply mired in poverty and conflict.

The people living in the Irrawaddy Delta are no stranger to this kind of catastrophe. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis struck the region. It was the worst natural disaster in Myanmar's recorded history. It killed nearly 140,000 people and wiped out entire towns. Unfortunately for the people of Myanmar, the combination of these kinds of natural disasters and an ineffectual government means they are often on their own dealing with the fallout.

If you are looking for a silver lining in all this, here's one: this kind of neglect has bred ingenuity and creativity alongside the extreme poverty. Take this guy, who works at a sports drink bottling company. He has created a boat made from discarded plastic sports drink bottles. With a small motor attached, it can hold two people. His creations are now delivering food and other aid to flood victims.

STRANGE BUT TRUE:

Russia's leaders are making a career out of isolating their country from the rest of the world. They invaded and annexed Crimea, which was part of Ukraine. That upset a lot of other countries in the region and the world. Russia continues to actively destabilize eastern Ukraine, resulting in a wide array of global economic sanctions.

A few months back Russia cracked down on homosexuality, passing a ban on “gay propaganda.” That didn't go over well in the West. Then it banned Western food imports like meat and dairy in retaliation for the sanctions. Lately Russian officials have been harassing Western NGOs they say are subversive. The list goes on.

This week, the scourge could be “Western” condoms. On Tuesday Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade suggested banning public procurement of various imported medical equipment and supplies, condoms included. Russians, who are getting used to such absurdities, reacted with a mix of disbelief and laughter.