Archived material Access restricted Article
Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Wed 05/30/2007 View Tue 05/29/2007 View Mon 05/28/2007 View Sun 05/27/2007 View Sat 05/26/2007 View Fri 05/25/2007 View Thu 05/24/2007
1
2007-05-30 Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Spengler: Why Iran will fight, not compromise
Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.
Posted by Pappy 2007-05-30 00:12|| || Front Page|| [4 views ]  Top

#1 My guess is that US Intelligence agencies are hoping to rely on Iranian opponents of the Ayatollahs. Opposition is centered in the seminary city of Qom; Teheran wouldn't be a target. In the case of Iranian exiles in America, there are reports that at least half have abandoned Islam, and they are in close contacts with family members back home. A poll of Iranian youth, taken before Ahmadinejad's rigged election, revealed almost universal desire to emigrate from the terror entity. If US does bomb Ayatollah power centers, as a signal to dissidents - especially professional military, who are fed up with the clerics - could it result in another Bay of Pigs fiasco that entrenches enemy power? I don't think so, because Iran isn't a tough nut to crack.
Posted by McZoid 2007-05-30 01:50||   2007-05-30 01:50|| Front Page Top

#2 Iran will fracture along ethnic lines. The Iranian Kurds are very quiet at the moment, but give the Iraqi Kurds a couple of years to consolidate their hold on Kirkuk and Nineveh provinces and it will be game on.
Posted by phil_b 2007-05-30 05:15||   2007-05-30 05:15|| Front Page Top

#3 42% of the non-agricultural population is employed by the Iranian state, compared with 17% in Pakistan

I love reading Spengler because of his snarks!
Posted by gromgoru 2007-05-30 07:19||   2007-05-30 07:19|| Front Page Top

#4  I am hoping the Iranian economy & power structure will collapse before that of the USA, which has several systemic risks of its own at the moment: dependence on imported oil, a truly huge economic bubble in real estate/construction, an extremely vulnerable middle class, a huge current account deficit, and a ruling class scarcely in touch with reality.
Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-05-30 14:10||   2007-05-30 14:10|| Front Page Top

#5 Iran to import more than half the gasoline it consumes because it lacks enough refinery capacity up - a serious vulnerability.
Posted by Angavirt Borgia5635 2007-05-30 17:12||   2007-05-30 17:12|| Front Page Top

23:37 RD
23:36 Black Charlie Ebbaviting3513
23:30 Black Charlie Ebbaviting3513
23:25 RD
23:21 Zenster
23:13 Mike N.
23:10 Mike N.
23:07 RD
23:04 Pappy
22:53 cindysheeman
22:48 Grinesh Hatfield7716
22:47 DMFD
22:46 DMFD
22:35 Barbara Skolaut
22:27 trailing wife
22:16 Zenster
22:02 Anonymoose
21:59 Zenster
21:43 N guard
21:40 Frank G
21:34 DMFD
21:33 Gladys
21:26 Barbara Skolaut
21:13 Asymmetrical T









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com