Iran Cannot Dominate the Middle East

On July 24, Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC, pictured at right) remarked on the radio that the consequences of the Iran deal bear comparing to the consequences of the Munich Agreement signed in 1938, except that  The consequences of this deal make Hitler look - is a minor player in the context of the challenge to the rest of the world. I wish I had seen this comment in time to include it in a piece I published yesterday at the Washington Examiner, highlighting the fact that Iran cannot dominate the Middle East, with or without a nuclear deal, with or without an extra $100 billion, with or without nuclear weapons. Pittenger’s remark, one would hope, was given thoughtlessly, but a lot of people who have allegedly spent a lot of time thinking about Iran have made claims that Iran is poised to dominate the Middle East, or if you prefer political science jargon, become a “regional hegemon.” As my piece argues, however, Iran is capable of engaging in an array of provocative behaviors throughout the region, to include support for terrorism, support for nasty regimes like Bashar al-Assad’s in Syria, and meddling in other foreign civil wars like Yemen’s or Iraq’s. All of these things make Iran problematic, but do not help it dominate the region. After discussing what regional hegemony means and demonstrating that Iran cannot attain it, I conclude that An Iran that could keep the profits from its oil sales and that engaged in more terrorism and proxy wars throughout the Middle...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs