Posted by
Andrews on Monday, May 19, 2008 3:38:21 PM
I can't believe I forgot about this, but when
Obama mentioned the small size of Iran and their limited spending on the military, I forgot the best "tiny" country example.
Has everyone already forgotten Cuba, the proxy for the USSR in our hemisphere? This "tiny" nation provided "advisers" for every major revolution in the Americas and Africa, and a few in Asia as well. Admittedly they were funded by the USSR in this endeavor, but they still spent much less than the US did on their military. They did not cause trouble by troops, for the most part, but by providing skilled agitators and trainers. The troops they provided most often provided training, they wer enot intended to provide military firepower so much as military know-how.
And that is how "tiny" Iran can harm the US, despite small military spending. Even if we ignore nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, the Iranians can continue to fund and train Islamic militants. And I think 9/11 showed how much harm a few trained militants can cause. Nor is that all. Iran can also fund fundamentalist uprisings in other moselm nations, such as Pakistan, to strip us of allies and to create other terrorist harboring nations. They can also influence nations such as the Palestinian Authority, turning them toward more militant policies. None of this requires a large military, yet is clearly a threat to the US.
So, again, the fact that Obama is comforted by Ian's size makes me doubt his competence to even hold a senate seat, much less serve as president.