Iran and the Strait of Hormuz
Several issues regarding Iran have come to our attention lately that are worthy of further deliberation, here are just a few.
A word of explanation: When I use the word ‘Iran’ I am not speaking of the general population of hard working men and women who, like Americans, prefer peace over war and prosperity over poverty. It is the government influenced by a theocracy and a renegade, out of control group of fanatical henchmen—the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—of which I speak.
Recently I have written that Iran and its proxies (Hezbollah, Hamas) are a growing threat not only to the Persian Gulf states but to the Middle-East in general and to Southwest Asia. Iran’s menace spreads in not-so-subtle ways to other countries as well, most notably Russia, Great Britain, the US and the country they are really after, Israel. Iran stands tall in defense of the Palestinians which in turn grants them favor with others who share that passion explicitly (Syria) and secretly (Saudi Arabia).
The complexities of what is known as the Islamic Revolution (http://iranchamber.com/history/islamic_revolution) are as cosmic as stars in the Universe. Iran wants it’s dealings to be multifarious and convoluted so that their scurrilous activities remain mysterious. This approach to governmental management is a result of deliberate ambiguity, and they are quite good at it. All of that bound tightly by a culture of secrecy has resulted in a formidable force and to think—they do not yet have nuclear weapons. Does this mean that when Iran gets the bomb they will take over the world? No. The bomb issue is merely a symbol of pride to the Iranians. They want it just so they can join the elite group of countries who own one or more. Iran’s weapon of choice will be the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, an act that will bring about political and financial problems of a magnitude modern America has never faced.
Marvin Wiebener
WRONG AGAIN: Said With Tongue in Cheek
Although Iran is on its way to ridding itself of a theocratic government, they’ve taken another body blow well south of the belt in this last election. It appeared, momentary as it was that the Guardian Council might have come to their senses when they considered annulling the election results in favor of another, better organized election, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the council slithered back to standard operating procedures and ordered the killing of dissidents and jailing leaders of the opposition. The leaders to be jailed can expect to be made an example of, whatever that means. Not good!
The president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is beaming because of his election ‘success’ , so much so that he fired another critical volley at the US demanding an apology from Obama for interfering in Iran’s election. This reinforces two things this blog has emphasized recently. First, Ahmadinejad isn’t likely to come around just because Obama wants to ‘extend a hand.’ Secondly, Ahmadinejad has been strengthened politically in the region and Obama, therefore the US, has been weakened in terms of influence. It is much easier to negotiate from a position of power than from weakness. Obama has exposed the US’s underbelly. America is now in an either/or situation. Stay on our backs and be seen as vulnerable or, to regain strong footing, the US must now do something extreme. Neither option is good. Obama, with all his good intentions, has placed America in this untenable position.