Iran: A Bridge too Far?

[Drakonix]

Why is it so hard to believe that a threat from Iran exists when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly publicly stated he wants to destroy Israel and the United States?

I can point fingers at and disrespect left-wing media sources just as easily as left-wingers can point fingers at and disrespect right-wing media sources. There is at least some politically motived spin in all of them.

With 200-300 nuclear weapons in their arsenal, Israelis enjoy a nuclear monopoly in the Middle East.

No. The source “accidentally” leaves out the fact that Pakistan is nuclear capable.

[multi]

Pakistan was in South Asia, last time I looked.

but regardless.. Pakistan is probably a lot more of a potential threat to Israel and the United States, one would think?

SWAT, Pakistan (AP) — Muslim extremists are expanding their control of northern Pakistan, challenging the U.S.-backed government of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and adding to the lands where terrorists allied with Osama bin Laden find refuge.

Once restricted to pockets in the mountains along the Afghanistan border, radical mullahs and their followers now wield power in vast areas of northwest Pakistan. They have moved in the past few months beyond the tribal regions and into northern Pakistan cities and the Swat Valley.

The increased influence of the Islamic radicals was highlighted this week by intense fighting between local gunmen and government troops. The government said about 180 people have been killed, mostly militants, in violence including bombings, abductions and shootouts.

"I can tell you there is money coming from al-Qaida and if al-Qaida did not lead these things we couldn't fight," said Abdul Samad, a stocky militant from Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province who serves as a liaison between Taliban groups on both sides of the border. Even during the fighting, radicals have made themselves available to speak with visiting journalists.

...more

So there we have money coming from al-Qaida, destabilizing a very dangerous country.. while in the US , we have AIPAC lobbying for taking out Iran with both sides of government equally complicit in being bribed to take their eye off the ball...again .

There is a war still being fought in neighboring Afghanistan that needs some serious attention as well
You don't seem to hear much about in the US media.. the media here covers it but only because they are picking a few of us off over there. They look like they could be doing much better if they had a little extra air and ground support to push the Taliban back before the winter sets in, but no, all the efforts are concentrated in Iraq with the focus rapidy switching to Iran.

a very interesting cartoon from the late 1800's

[multi]

Taliban Retreat Is Seen After an Advance Near Kandahar

[Drakonix]

Pakistan was in South Asia, last time I looked.

No. Pakistan is considered a middle eastern (Asia) country. The southern line is drawn between Pakistan and India.

http://graphicmaps.com/webimage/countrys/me.htm

[albed]

Lol, you can see why multi prefers copy and paste to his own knowledge and opinions.

[multi]

the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان), is a republic in South Asia, marking the region where South Asia converges with Central Asia and the Middle East.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan

[RDixon]

When you start hearing about Herat in the news: The shit is about to hit the fan.

[Drakonix]

I too have the mighty power of copy and paste.

From the link in my previous post:

The Middle East (or West Asia) sits where Africa, Asia and Europe meet. The countries of the Middle East are all part of Asia, but for clarity reasons we geographically show them here as a separate landmass.

Opinions vary as to what countries make up the modern definition of the Middle East. Historically, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been long associated with the Middle East, but in recent years, some sources now consider them to be more closely aligned with Europe based on their modern economic and political trends. We have moved in that direction, and the same applies for the island country of Cyprus, as it does for Georgia, the former Russian republic.

The African country of Egypt is still thought (by some) to be in the Middle East, as well as the northern African countries that border the Mediterranean Sea.

We attempt here to show the modern definition, but in world of geography, there are often many answers or (personal or political opinions) to what appears to be a simple question.

If you look at the map I posted, you will see that all of Pakistan is north of the most southern area of Saudi Arabia. All of Pakistan is north of the Tropic of Cancer, which forms a good line for comparison.

I really don't think Afghanistan and Pakistan should be lumped in with The Philippines, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

NOT recommended: trying to convince everyone in Pakistan that they are a part of India, and convince everyone in India that they are a part of Pakistan.

As the article points out, Egypt is commonly held as part of the middle east even though it’s in the African continent (not western Asia). The point is that in common usage of today, Pakistan is considered a middle eastern country.

Besides, you have to be very careful when you draw east-west bearing lines to separate North from South. Look what happened with the Mason-Dixon line in the U.S.. It was expensive, to the tune of approximately 620,000 dead in the U.S. Civil War.