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This an incredibly subtle deal. - Iran gets access to global markets, and in time tourism (there's an incredible number of amazingly beautiful things in Iran f
by bane 11y ago
This an incredibly subtle deal.
- Iran gets access to global markets, and in time tourism (there's an incredible number of amazingly beautiful things in Iran for tourists to see, from ancient to modern ski resorts)
- Iranian oil will keep prices in the toilet, this is basically a way for the U.S. to punish Saudi Arabia for decades of support for various maleficent actors. Except it doesn't involve an invasion, a takeover, or anything else beyond economic sabotage. The Saudis have also had decades to form a more diverse economy, and for various reasons haven't managed to do it...this has kept them vulnerable to this kind of action and it helps free the the major users of Saudi oil from "vendor lock-in"
- It demonstrates that cool, calm, collected diplomacy can actually work. However, many people will forget that the U.S. and Iran have been fighting a proxy war for decades. It hasn't been a hot war, but Stuxnet, various revolutionary movements and so on have been bits of that war. This isn't just Iran throwing in the towel because the sanctions finally worked, its because all of the other major leverage points Iran could muster were defeated.
- While the sanctions by themselves failed to work, they helped create a political climate inside of Iran that favored this outcome instead of having another go at saber rattling.
- This helps provide a mildly more palatable "friend" in the region than Pakistan
- mschuster91 11y ago> - Iranian oil will keep prices in the toilet, this is basically a way for the U.S. to punish Saudi Arabia for decades of support for various maleficent actors. While I'd certainly support letting SA rot to pieces for their misdeeds, SA alone could with a single move end the low oil prices. It's more like SA wants to screw over both Russia and the US, because neither country can produce oil at 10$ per barrel like SA can. > It hasn't been a hot war, but Stuxnet, various revolutionary movements and so on have been bits of that war. Stuxnet was Israeli with US cooperation, iirc. Not that this makes stuff any better. Only problem is that Israel can and will ignore US opinions if they feel threatened. Unfortunately, Israel is in possession of nuclear bombs and their current government is extremely right-wing; I'm not sure if Israel won't escalate the war to "really hot" now that a deal has passed and they will be afraid that Iran will try to subvert it.
- chadzawistowski 11y ago> Stuxnet was Israeli with US cooperation, iirc. Yes, and they targeted the Iranian computers that control their cetrifuges, to sabotage them.
- selimthegrim 11y agoWhat's wrong with Pakistan? No mandated hijab, no execution of gays, no deep packet inspection...
- atonse 11y agoExtremely powerful intelligence agency that basically pulls (or tries to pull) the strings on the rest of the government. Actual tested nuclear weapons with some nuclear scientists sympathizing with extremist Islamist views, not just a bourgeoning nuclear program. Pseudo-militaristic rule. (Going back and forth between military and civilian rule, with various coups over the decades). Slow loss of control of various extremist elements? I don't know, I'd say Pakistan is pretty risky as well.
- amalag 11y agoThere are scholars who have advocated for the US to ally with Iran more than Pakistan. C Christine Fair has written scathing books and articles on Pakistan and its Islamist Jihadist army. She says most countries have an army, but in Pakistan the army has a country. US funds given to Pakistan are put in very dangerous hands. Her recent article is quite good: http://business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/pathankot-attack-aimed-at-probing-modi-govt-s-red-lines-christine-fair-116010900252_1.html http://business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/pathank...