Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a ceremony marking the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, Iran February 10, 2017. President.ir/Handout via REUTERS
Jonathan Adelman, FOX News: The surprising truth about Iran and the West
For the eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency, the United States treated Iran as if it were a major rising power in the world dominating the Middle East. But Iran is not a First World or even Second World power. Iran, as a Third World country, is far weaker than either the superpower United States or the rising First World power Israel.
Look at the figures. The American GDP of over $18 trillion is more than 40 times the GDP of Iran ($450 billion). American GDP/capita is $53,000 while Iranian GDP/capita of $4,800 is not even 10 percent of that figure.
On the military front, there is no comparison. The United States spends over $600 billion a year on defense while Iran spends a paltry $6 billion. The United States has over 1,500 strategic nuclear weapons while Iran has none. The Business Insider rates the American military the best in the world and Iran is not even rated in the top 20.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I am also one of those who does not believe that Iran is the powerhouse that many of its opponents fear .... absent nuclear weapons. Iran has an incredible history ... and it is blessed with oil wealth and resources that many can only dream about .... but it is a poor country, deeply divided along political/religious/ethnic lines .... and ruled by a theocracy that is now involved in multiple no-win wars across the Middle East. Will Iran change in the coming decades .... I hope so. But I doubt that it will happen in my lifetime.
1 comment:
"Iran could be a decent country, but the "Islamic revolution" is a dead end."
Well said.
Indeed Iran is a great country with long history and culture but the Islamic revolution has set it back. The best bet for the west is we focus on regime change, not by war, by supporting the real opposition and people.
Post a Comment