Iran Sanctions

I've argued before about the futility of sanctions against Iran. Such measures rarely work and often prove to be counterproductive. They serve to rally the local population behind the rogue regime, create resentment against those sponsoring sanctions, and provoke retaliation. So retaliatory actions like these detailed by the NYT taken by the Mahmoudenijad regime following the Security Council's decision yesterday to impose sanctions are only to be expected.

It is unlikely that sanctions will stop Iran from going nuclear. What happens then? Are the U.S. and other states prepared to use military force? Aside from the military difficulties in achieving the desired objectives, the political and financial costs of such intervention are likely to be significant. Given the current financial climate and with the U.S. bogged down in Afghanistan, horrible as the prospect is, we just might have to learn to live with a nuclear Iran.