The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Blood In The Streets Over A Naked Ankle
by James Dunnigan
March 19, 2008
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
The war in Iran is on the streets. In poor
neighborhoods, drug addiction and unemployment supply a growing number of gangs
with ruthless and brutal recruits. The police respond with public whippings and
up to ten executions a day. So far this year, 48 have been executed, compared
to 298 for all of last year. Opium and heroin continues to come in from Afghanistan,
feeding millions of addicts. The war against the drug smugglers on the Afghan
border leaves hundreds dead and wounded each year, as it has for a decade. The
Afghan gangs have found it easier to bribe the border police, forcing the government
to send more of its "Revolutionary Guards" (Islamic radicals forming a palace
guard for the clerics running the country) to deal with the corrupt police as
well as the well armed smugglers.
Meanwhile, police continue to expend a
lot of effort on terrorizing the middle and upper class neighborhoods in the
cities. Merchants, professionals and corrupt government officials still live
pretty well, and their kids like to dress up. The Islamic lifestyle police are
running into public resistance while enforcing conservative dress codes. Women,
in particular, are getting more vocal in protesting the chador clad female
police trying to haul them away for some clothing infraction [VIDEO] [PHOTO]. Now the police
find themselves facing instant mobs of angry people intent on freeing well
dressed, but religiously incorrect, prisoners. Soon enough, one of these
incidents will escalate to rock throwing, tear gas and gunfire. Blood in the
streets over a naked ankle.
Iran and Iraq have agreed to restore
many parts of the 1975 treaty that settled long standing border disputes. Saddam
tore up this arrangement when he invaded in 1980. The new deal will mean better
border security and less risk of border police from both countries shooting at
each other.
The UN IAEA accused Iran of continuing
its nuclear weapons research. Iran denied working on nuclear weapons, but
admitted using new centrifuges that can turn out enriched nuclear material (uranium)
at twice the rate of the old machines. This has alarmed even Russia, which has
now called on Iran to stop the uranium enrichment program. If Iran refuses,
Russia says it will support UN sanctions. Iran responded by offering to buy 200
Russian airliners. Russia recently announced that it wanted to build its
commercial airline manufacturing industry into a world class competitor.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been
publicly rebuked by senior clergy, for coarse and inflammatory remarks. This
was in reference to Ahmadinejad's frequent name calling directed at Israel, and
calls for Israel's destruction. The senior clergy, who have the ultimate power
in Iran, see their country held up to international ridicule because of Ahmadinejad's crude antics.
One of the most effective weapons
against Iranian backed terrorism is the Financial Action Task Force, an
international organization that uncovers and moves against criminal use of the
international banking system. The U.S., Russia and 32 other major nations are
members. Increasing U.S. enacted, or backed, restrictions on Iranian use of the
international banking system have been making it more difficult for Iran to
move money around to support terrorism and weapons smuggling.
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