Iran's drones hit America's Achilles heel

(politico.com)

35 points | by snarky-comments 12 hours ago ago

26 comments

  • iAMkenough 11 hours ago ago

    Coining the phrase “drone terrorism” after a decade-long history of drone strikes with civilian casualties is rich.

    You can’t claim terrorism after starting a war that killed 100+ school children on the first day of military strikes. It’s just retaliation as part of the war you started.

    • andsoitis 11 hours ago ago

      [flagged]

      • imjonse 11 hours ago ago

        the Islamic Republic's rise is a consequence of a harsh authoritarian monarchy imposed on Iran by the US and the UK in 1953 (for oil obviously). Your turn.

        • andsoitis 10 hours ago ago

          > for oil obviously

          Because Iran’s prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, nationalized the country’s oil industry, challenging British economic interests.

          America, for its part, was increasingly concerned about communist influence during the Cold War, not oil. In fact, its ventures with Saudi Arabia was the cause of the nationalization by Iran’s prime minister, because they felt being taken advantage by Britain.

          Are you saying Britain is hence ultimately responsible?

          • hardbass 6 hours ago ago

            In my view, Britain is through not much fault of it's own, responsibile. If we go back to the Israel boondoggle, was Britain not weak and weary of colonial projects after ww2, they could have resisted Zionist terrorist blackmail attempts to usurp the land and maintained a brutal no questions asked shoot on sight policy for terrorism whether Arab or Zionist in the region.

          • imjonse 7 hours ago ago

            For the coup? Yes, Churchill/British Petroleum (Anglo-Iranian Petroleum Company before the rebranding to BP right after the coup) couldn't topple Mosaddegh and asked the CIA for help. Nationalized often means reverting transactions that could be seen as fraudulent, when powerful nations bribe/take advantage of poorly run developing countries/banana republics and suddenly own a large part of the natural resources that then no longer benefit the population. That is the type of communism the US was often afraid of - increasing literacy, healthcare, land reform at expense of foreign private companies.

          • watwut 8 hours ago ago

            None of what you wrote makes Britain sound "ultimately responsible". For that matter, oil nationalization is not a reason to remove democratically elected government and replacing it with dictator.

          • 10 hours ago ago
            [deleted]
          • phs318u 9 hours ago ago

            Why not? Many 20th-century geopolitical basket cases have the fingerprints of empire on them.

            According to Claude:

            Significant responsibility

            • 1914, Nigeria: Britain merged two protectorates but governed them separately → the Biafran War (1967–70).

            • 1915–22, Iraq/Middle East: Britain made contradictory promises and drew borders with France → coups, the 1958 revolution, the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

            • 1917–48, Palestine: Britain made irreconcilable pledges and left without a settlement → the Arab–Israeli conflict.

            • 1920–21, Ireland: Partition was drawn to give unionists a built-in majority → the Civil War and the Troubles.

            • 1930–56, Sudan: Britain sealed off the south, then rejoined it to the north at independence → two civil wars and South Sudan's secession.

            • 1947, India/Pakistan: A rushed exit and hastily drawn borders → partition violence, the Kashmir dispute, and Pakistan's 1971 breakup.

            Partial responsibility

            • 1935–48, Burma: Britain ruled the hill peoples separately → decades of insurgency, though the Japanese occupation and military rule matter as much.

            • 1953, Iran: Britain co-led the coup with the CIA → the Shah's autocracy and the 1979 revolution, with the US sharing the lead.

            • 1954–63, Somalia: Britain handed Somali-inhabited lands to Ethiopia and Kenya → border wars, though Italy, the Cold War and the dictatorship weigh more.

            • 1960, Cyprus: Divide-and-rule tactics and an unworkable constitution → the 1974 division, with Greece and Turkey as central actors.

            • 1965–79, Zimbabwe: Britain didn't confront the Rhodesian breakaway and deferred land reform → the later collapse, which was mostly the ruling party's doing.

            • Also arguable: Sri Lanka, Fiji, Aden/South Yemen, and the Durand and McMahon border lines.

      • theylieeasieral 11 hours ago ago

        which was primarily a consequence of external imperial aggression

      • iAMkenough 10 hours ago ago

        You glossed over the 100+ school children killed by American strikes (not Israel). If it was your kid, what would you do?

  • fugaziboutit 9 hours ago ago

    An airbase seems more like the tip of Achilles' spear.

    America's true Achilles heel, history tells us, is very tall commercial office buildings.

  • thomasjeff1 11 hours ago ago

    Trump fucked around and found out

  • aaron695 7 hours ago ago

    [dead]

  • ChrisRR 6 hours ago ago

    This isn't HN content