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Octubre 01, 2009

Lo que sabemos sobre Irán

Juan Cole desnuda algunas de las verdades asumidas sobre Irán y su Gobierno: Top Things you Think You Know about Iran that are not True.

Belief: Iran is a militarized society bristling with dangerous weapons and a growing threat to world peace.

Reality: Iran's military budget is a little over $6 billion annually. Sweden, Singapore and Greece all have larger military budgets. Moreover, Iran is a country of 70 million, so that its per capita spending on defense is tiny compared to these others, since they are much smaller countries with regard to population. Iran spends less per capita on its military than any other country in the Persian Gulf region with the exception of the United Arab Emirates.

Belief: Isn't the Iranian regime irrational and crazed, so that a doctrine of mutally assured destruction just would not work with them?

Actuality: Iranian politicians are rational actors. If they were madmen, why haven't they invaded any of their neighbors? Saddam Hussein of Iraq invaded both Iran and Kuwait. Israel invaded its neighbors more than once. In contrast, Iran has not started any wars. Demonizing people by calling them unbalanced is an old propaganda trick. The US elite was once unalterably opposed to China having nuclear science because they believed the Chinese are intrinsically irrational. This kind of talk is a form of racism.

Posted by Iñigo at Octubre 1, 2009 02:47 PM

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Comments

Un gran problema de Iran de cara al exterior es la minoria islamista gobernante, bastante alejada del irani medio (del irani medio con educacion me refiero, esta claro que las zonas remotas son otro cantar). Por que de hecho, los iranies poco tienen que ver con los arabes cosa que se tiende a olvidar muy facilmente (si no que se lo digan a Fox News).
Gran articulo, como siempre.

Posted by: Pedro at Octubre 1, 2009 06:23 PM

Una muy buena sacada de los comentarios: XD

Perhaps one more to add:

Belief: Iranians are Arabs

Actuality: No they are not.

Posted by: lrdelp at Octubre 3, 2009 12:19 AM