And of course the Iranians are stupid enough to leave specific identifying marks on the known remains of the explosives.

Sounds more like a CIA job the closer you look.

Yendis,
Not much evidence was produced by the military at the briefing for the claim that the Iranian government, "at the highest levels," is ordering that Shiite militias be supplied with sophisticated weaponry for use against U.S. forces.

Even if the Iranians are supplying some weapons, these would be a small proportion of the road side bombs. My guess is that the Sunni's are quite capable of making their own roadside bombs.

Other bombs could come from the black market.

Yes I suppose it is easy to mistrust races of people when they are depicted as Evil. As in the pic above and many others that circulate when Evil stands up against Good (so called).
I am sure that there are plenty of Evil George pics out there too.
I suppose that we now live in a world where the way you look determines how much can be trusted in what you say as opposed to what you are actually saying.
Words unless spoken with pics are largely disposable nowadays and one picture can sway a persons thinking.
I am told that Pictures are the major factor in brainwashing nowadays and am inclined to believe it.
As for weapons coming over the border...well I would think some are.

Les,
yes I agree. It is images more than words--the tabloids and television networks understand that.

In the Australia context most citizens would read the Iranian street image in the post in terms of 'evil theocracy, even though Iran has shifted to a democratic pathway that leads away from the Sah's totalitarianism.

The whole middle east has had its fair share of problems. I wonder how the area would of turned out if oil wasn't discovered.
Perhaps it would be another Africa.
I have been looking at Aids figures from UNAIDS and WHO and think things look bleak for the future. At some point, with the growing numbers of intravenous drug users the region will need to do some backyard cleanup in Afghanistan.

Les,
The other aspect to Iranian issue is the fear in the US:many are clear that the Iranian regime poses a grave threat that to America and its way of life. So it is shortsighted not to understand that it is imperative that the US take the regime out, preferably with as much force as possible?

The fear is pretty deep. If Iran were ever to acquire a nuke it would be only a matter of time before there were 20 of them planted in major American cities and the Iranians would hold the US hostage and demand its capitulation.

Explosive unconscious stuff. The most unlikely scenarios to justify the fear are embraced, and the desire to wage pre-emptive or preventive war against whatever regime is currently deemed evil, is very strong.

America I think has learnt something from Iraq.
Next war....Planes and bombs.
Soldier deaths are too unpopular.

Les
the Americans have a funny understanding of war. Their unconscious tendency toward fear and trembling that I gestured towards above is often accompanied by an almost childlike faith in the ability of military force to erase any and every threat. All we have to do is bomb them back to the stone age – I’ve heard this phrase at least since the early days of Vietnam – and they’ll stop bothering us – until we discover some other tin pot tyrant who poses yet another threat to our sacred way of life.

This touching faith in overwhelming military force is often accompanied by a conception of military force that seeks to divorce it from political objectives or any consideration of political consequences at all.

The world will change a bit August 8 2008.
Thats when China hosts the Olympics and a New Super Power has its coming out party. The event size will eclipse all others and many are saying that it will never be topped.
Will be interesting to see how world events unfold afterwards.

Les,
you may well be right. But many Americans have a lot of fear and trembling about China, which the Republicans have fostered and exploited over the last decade.

Yes...I would think if America and China fell out and began a war perhaps we would see 20% of the worlds population killed and then Chaos.

Les,
not even John Howard buys into the Republican fear and trembling re China. He places Australia between the US and China.

Sensible, even it is all about Quarry Austrlia.

I have a mental picture of China as a big old Iron horse locomotive screaming down the track full speed with John Howard shovelling loads of coal into the fire and Kevin Rudd blowing the whistle. Toot!!! Toot!!!

Les,
nice image. Chania deos stand for a challenge to the US neoconservatives deire for American to as "benevolent global hegemony" and a unipolar world---one center of authority, one center of force, one center of decision-making. It is a world in which there is one master, one sovereign.

Hmmm, So its an Amerocracy?

Les,
John Gray, in The Age observes:

A decade ago policymakers and opinion formers were supremely confident that globalisation meant the spread of Western institutions and values throughout the world Political leaders and international institutions looked forward to a time when "democratic capitalism" would be accepted everywhere..

Gray goes on to say that this, which is the latest incarnation of the Enlightenment faith that the advance of science and technology would create a universal civilisation, soon gave way to anxiety and foreboding.