Sweep the Leg

It’s Time to Stop Rewarding Iran’s Bad Faith

Sensei John Kreese and his student, Johnny Lawrence, in the 1984 film Karate Kid.

I’m not sure if you have to be of a certain age to recognize where I stole the title for this piece. If you don’t know it, it’s from the original Karate Kid, when Sensei (coach) Kreese orders his star student, Johnny, to finish off his underdog opponent, Daniel, who’s nursing a badly injured left wheel.

You see, Johnny has been the undisputed baddest ass in town for as long as anyone can remember, but this pesky Daniel kid just won’t go quietly.

When Johnny hesitates at Kreese’s order that he “Sweep the leg,” the sensei barks, “No mercy!”

Of course, that’s a pretty ugly doctrine for a high school karate tournament. On the other hand, it’s entirely appropriate when the opponent in question is the Islamic Republic of Iran, a regime that has spent months treating ceasefires as opportunities to rearm, shipping lanes as ransom notes and negotiations as some bizarre sort of prank.