War with Iran is it imminent

[Arniepie]

38 minutes ago, No2 said:

Can anyone recommend some good books on Iran? How did they get to be the world's bogeyman? 

There was an excellent bbc documentary on them a while ago

 

not sure if its still on i player?

[Jairzinho]

12 minutes ago, No2 said:

Well the sanctions on them bring the rest of the world into play. Germany can't be friends with them and America, they need to choose sides.

 

I'm not really referring to Western Europe, obviously we'll do what the US tells us to do, but the rest of the world. China, India, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, Indonesia. Big economies, some of whom I have no idea about regarding their relations to Iran.

 

I'd imagine many countries, rightly in my opinion, have Iran and Saudi Arabia in the same boat. A pair of cunts. Their geopolitical necessity to pretend one is a goodie and one is a baddie might be quite different to ours. 

 

It reminds me of an interview with the minister for finance (or whatever his title is) for India. He was asked how he could possibly do business with Russia while they attacked Ukraine. His answer was basically "We've got more than a billion people here, mate, what's happening in Europe simply can't concern us".

 

 

[SasaS]

52 minutes ago, No2 said:

Can anyone recommend some good books on Iran? How did they get to be the world's bogeyman? 

 

In the book thread, we discussed some time ago Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East by Kim Ghattas, which I listened to as an audio book and found quite informative. Not just on Iran but the region as well, which must all be taken into account.

 

From 2020.

[SasaS]

21 minutes ago, Jairzinho said:

 

I'm not really referring to Western Europe, obviously we'll do what the US tells us to do, but the rest of the world. China, India, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, Indonesia. Big economies, some of whom I have no idea about regarding their relations to Iran.

 

I'd imagine many countries, rightly in my opinion, have Iran and Saudi Arabia in the same boat. A pair of cunts. Their geopolitical necessity to pretend one is a goodie and one is a baddie might be quite different to ours. 

 

It reminds me of an interview with the minister for finance (or whatever his title is) for India. He was asked how he could possibly do business with Russia a while they attacked Ukraine. His answer was basically "We've got more than a billion people here, mate, what's happening in Europe simply can't concern us".

 

 

"We are making too much money on it to give a fuck."

[No2]

12 minutes ago, SasaS said:

"We are making too much money on it to give a fuck."

88 million people Coca Cola, Microsoft and Google can't sell to. That's a big market, bigger than Germany or Turkey. Shit loads of money to be made.

[TheHowieLama]

1 hour ago, No2 said:

Can anyone recommend some good books on Iran? How did they get to be the world's bogeyman? 

I posted an Al Jazeera series on the Lebanese Civl War in the other thread. It is really long and in depth but it does a good job of showing just how complicated those relationships (Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, Iran, Syria)  are and gives background on how/why.

 

Not sure if you are looking for Iranian history with a capital H - as in Persia - but a recent read that I found interesting is "Khomeinism" and the populist strategies that were embraced.

[SasaS]

2 minutes ago, No2 said:

88 million people Coca Cola, Microsoft and Google can't sell to. That's a big market, bigger than Germany or Turkey. Shit loads of money to be made.

 

It's a drop in the ocean for the US and these companies, compared to what India is making on Russian oil. Plus, Russia is not their enemy or even rival.

[No2]

3 minutes ago, SasaS said:

 

It's a drop in the ocean for the US and these companies, compared to what India is making on Russian oil. Plus, Russia is not their enemy or even rival.

I wasn't referring to India, just the concept of keeping Iran on the bold step when the untapped potential of 88 million customers sits there, for no obvious reason. That's if it's all about money and we know 101 times out 100 it will be.

[TheHowieLama]

5 minutes ago, No2 said:

I wasn't referring to India, just the concept of keeping Iran on the bold step when the untapped potential of 88 million customers sits there, for no obvious reason. That's if it's all about money and we know 101 times out 100 it will be.

 

Many of those want nothing to do with the "western goods" you are implying. It is not really a profitable market when combined with the difficulty of entry and it is small by any global terms.

[SasaS]

6 minutes ago, No2 said:

I wasn't referring to India, just the concept of keeping Iran on the bold step when the untapped potential of 88 million customers sits there, for no obvious reason. That's if it's all about money and we know 101 times out 100 it will be.

 

 

I don't know what exactly they are not allowed to buy, the only thing I remember reading they struggle with was spare parts for commercial airlines or something.

 

The reason is probably that they are an expansionist regional power trying to develop nuclear capabilities and mostly opposed to what the country sanctioning them sees as their geopolitical interests. They did kill their top military commander a few years back.

 

[No2]

1 minute ago, SasaS said:

 

 

I don't know what exactly are they not allowed to buy, the only thing I remember reading they struggle with was spare parts for commercial airlines or something.

 

The reason is probably that they are an expansionist regional power trying to develop nuclear capabilities and mostly opposed to what the country sanctioning them seeing as their geopolitical interests. They did kill their top military commander a few years back.

 

My understanding is if you trade with them then you can't trade with America without a special licence. Coca Cola can be sold there through an Irish subsidiary, I assume the US like the idea of the ultimate symbol of capitalist America being visible in cafes and restaurants throughout Iran.

[No2]

16 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

 

Many of those want nothing to do with the "western goods" you are implying. It is not really a profitable market when combined with the difficulty of entry and it is small by any global terms.

Give it 10 years and see what it looks like.

[Section_31]

Lest we forget Iran was abiding by its agreements with the west until John Bolton tore it up, erm, cos.

[Kepler-186]

2 hours ago, No2 said:

Can anyone recommend some good books on Iran? How did they get to be the world's bogeyman? 

All The Shah’s Men

[TheHowieLama]

13 minutes ago, Kepler-186 said:

All The Shah’s Men

 

That is a good one that shows the UK gubmint's direct role in the oil game there from the very beginning and how that led to the CIA shenanigans.

 

One for the current UK "nationalism" of energy shouts.

 

 

[Kepler-186]

5 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

 

That is a good one that shows the UK gubmint's direct role in the oil game there from the very beginning and how that led to the CIA shenanigans.

 

One for the current UK "nationalism" of energy shouts.

 

 

Great documentary Coup 53 too. 
 

 

[Anubis]

1 hour ago, Section_31 said:

Lest we forget Iran was abiding by its agreements with the west until John Bolton tore it up, erm, cos.

It’s mad. Probably the first bit of meaningful dialogue and cooperation between Iran and most countries in decades, and then…

[TheHowieLama]

1 hour ago, No2 said:

Give it 10 years and see what it looks like.

 

This thread is 16 years old.

[No2]

6 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

 

This thread is 16 years old.

Well the clock doesn't start ticking until the sanctions are lifted.

[TheHowieLama]

1 minute ago, No2 said:

Well the clock doesn't start ticking until the sanctions are lifted.

 

You are going to need a calendar for that.

[Arniepie]

1 hour ago, Section_31 said:

Lest we forget Iran was abiding by its agreements with the west until John Bolton tore it up, erm, cos.

wasnt it trump?

[Section_31]

2 minutes ago, Arniepie said:

wasnt it trump?

 

Think it was at the wee man's behest. Trump has probably never heard of it. 

[Arniepie]

Trump says US must make deal with Iran | Iran International (iranintl.com)

 

genius

[SasaS]

Trump authorized Soleimani's assassination.