Victor Davis Hanson recites some of the looming problems that could make next year even more difficult than the current one: failure to develop domestic oil and natural-gas fields in advance of probable increases in oil and gas prices; failure to pay down the national debt; the consequences of a feckless, politically correct approach to terrorism; significant scheduled tax increases.
Iran’s expected development of a nuclear weapon in the coming year should be added to the top of the list. The development would have profound consequences for Middle East dynamics — possibly sparking a regional arms race, instability in oil markets, and a realignment of political and national coalitions.
The West seems to be sleepwalking through this development, wishing it would simply go away. It’s doubtful that serious universal sanctions will be imposed, or that any such sanctions would even have the desired effect. Consequently, the probabilities that Israel must ultimately deal with the threat of a nuclear Iran increase daily. The dominoes will be plentiful and unpredictable.