There was speculation a couple months ago that they were going to invade Lebanon by going through Syria.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and other Related Conflicts in the Middle East (read the rules in the first post)
- Thread starter phrozenflame
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There was speculation a couple months ago that they were going to invade Lebanon by going through Syria.
I think this:
Is a great response to this:
It's a perfect description of how you use this forum. If I had taken psychology courses, I'd say something clever about projection. Instead I'll just wish you well and hope you have fun also.
I don't think Iran in 2024 and Poland in the 1980s are comparable. And to suggest that the US is an "enemy of Poland" is nonsensical. Poland was forced into a Soviet-controlled system("Warsaw pact") as a result of WWII. So it ended up with a system imposed on it by outside forces. Once it regained independence in 1989, it quickly moved to rejoin the West where it belongs.
By contrast, Iran in effect chose its own path with the 1978 revolution, which means they are themselves responsible for what they have now, even if the regime is losing popularity these days. Folks forget that the 1978 revolution was supported by many socialist and secular types too, even if many ended up regretting it.
I think it's simpler than that. North Korea is much more cut off from the West than Iran is. Plus, Iran has a very large diaspora in the West, many of whom are from elite backgrounds and who still have connections in the home country. All of this creates lots of "vectors of attack" for intelligence agencies.
It's the same problem we see in so many other Third World countries: elites are often desperate to be associated with the West and many are thoroughly corrupt, sending their relatives and ill-gotten gains to the West. I suspect ex-president Raisi was assassinated by Israel this year, but admitting so publicly would have been a massive embarrassment. And the Israelis and the Americans couldn't have done it without high-level moles and collaborators.
North Korea, because of its isolation, can ward these forces off.
North Korea has South Korea to compare to yet South Korea having more money doesn't give them any political legitimacy in North Korea.
solarz
Brigadier
North Korea is economically dependent on China. Iran does not have such a powerful patron.
I wonder how much the assassination of Qasem Soleimani plays into the problems organizations like Hezbollah are having today? From what I understand he was a lynchpin player in Iranian operations throughout the region. I might have missed it, but I haven't seen his name mentioned lately and I've wondered if what we are seeing are the ramifications (at least partially) from his assassination in 2020.
Even when China was poorer than North Korea, it had legitimacy.
You can also ask why there are Taiwanese military officers who swim to China despite Taiwan being richer on paper.