Hitchens' Position On Invading Iran

I think Andrew Sullivan got Christopher Hitchens wrong in a recent interview by Michael Totten.

Sullivan accuses Hitchens of wanting to gratuitously invade Iran. Hitchens anticipated this during the interview and explains himself:

They'll say I'm asking for war, but I'll say no. I'm not. I'm recognizing that someone is looking for war. We should be firm enough to say "Alright." We didn't look for it. We've tried everything short of war for a long time. Everything. We went to the International Atomic Energy Authority and found them cheating everywhere. Their signature on the Nonproliferation Treaty is worthless. We have the names of members of the Iranian government who are wanted for sending assassins to Europe and Argentina. We know what they've been doing to subvert Lebanon, to make trouble in Iraq.

The important thing to pay attention to here is attitude. I think Hitchens' explanation here proves he does not have an attitude of superiority or authoritarianism - an attitude of unaccountability, really. He demonstrates awareness and concern for Iran's violations of multiple international agreements.

I believe Sullivan gets another point wrong. He rhetorically questions: "does Hitchens really believe that the US invading a Muslim country for the third time in a decade would help us drain the swamps of anti-American hatred?" His point being that (I paraphrase Sullivan here) global Muslim opinion is the critical factor in the war with Islamist terror.

Certainly we want to do everything we can to reduce anti-American feelings - but I don't think this is "the critical factor" in our struggle against Islamists. Ultimately, we have to do the right thing - as long as it is within our ability. Interventions are not chosen willy-nilly or without consideration to our own interests, and that's as it should be, because our resources, while large, are still limited, and we're feeling our limitations acutely these days.

Let me clarify: anti-Americanism is a factor in our struggle, but it is not the most important factor. Hitchens is considering the humanitarian factor: the egregious violations of Iranians human rights: "the Iranian Revolutionary Guards...go out into the street and rape and blind and kill young Iranians," they are "stoning women and blinding girls. They rape boys in jail."

I don't think Hitchens has the arrogant attitude Andrew Sullivan accuses him of having.