Abstract:
It is increasingly clear that Russia will not only block a United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force against Iran, but also one that imposes serious economic sanctions against it. Here's why: Putin cannot stop the United States from using force against Iran without U.N. Security Council authorization, nor will he defend Iran if the United States takes this course. The greatest risk for Russia if the United States does use force is that an American intervention will succeed in replacing the present Iranian regime with a pro-Western one that drastically curtails economic cooperation with Russia. But given the difficulties American forces are experiencing in pacifying two less populous countries on either side of Iran (Iraq and Afghanistan), it is much more likely that any unilateral American military action against Iran would be a more limited one aimed at destroying its nuclear capability that would leave the Islamic Republic intact.
