Recent content by RJB

RAND has just released a report on Iranian vulnerabilities, prepared for the Strategic Planning Division of the US Air Force. Among its conclusions: The full report is available at http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG693.pdf.

"Taking out" Iran's oil infrastructure would spike the price of oil, and tip much of the world into a full-blown recession. Moreover, if Iran lost its export capacity, it would have every incentive to shut down the Straits of Hormuz, and choke other Gulf exports too. (It has a great many other...

The Iranian regime is far from this unstable--indeed, the striking thing about Iran (in comparison to most regimes in the Middle East) is the low level of visible internal security. The regime also has deep roots--quite apart from the combat units of the Revolutionary Guard, there a million...