@kouch_lee:
Well, even a conflict of that (very relatively) small scale scares the shit out of me, considering how trigger happy we can get with nuclear weaponry.
Uhh… no one is trigger happy with nuclear weaponry.
But I'm even more concerned with bigger players to enter the fray. Hasn't Ahmedineyad (is that the correct spelling?) been doing some pretty heavy touring in South America?
ALBA? lol, those guys wish they were relevant. All they ever do is annoy us and you. They're harmless.
I gather he has some sort of "allies" there, and lately South America is acting kind of weird, specially with my country, Spain, nationalizing spanish companies (first was Argentina with oil company Repsoil and now Bolivia with electric company REE), and acting defiant to the European Union. I know, I'm getting kinda paranoid on this whole thing, but I'm seeing a bigger conflict, I don't know why. It's an impression I'm getting lately.
Nationalizing companies isn't a political move inherently. Those countries, especially Bolivia (very poor place) want to try and steer their natural resources back into their own pockets and out of those of foreign companies.
Argentina is a sane place they aren't part of ALBA or any of that Bolivarian nonsense.
The wierdness down there stems from general anger at the way they've been treated in the past century. As pawns in the Cold War. It's just instead of a bunch of people left hating Russia (Eastern Europe) they have grudges against the US and it's allies. That's why you have a lot of defiance down there, and it's that same feeling of resentment that keeps people voting for exploitative clowns like Chavez.
Though Chavez makes me wonder sometimes they can't be taken THAT seriously in the sense of allying with Iran in any meaningful way. It's a phase they need to go through, to get that feeling of being shat on off their shoulders. That's all it is, and it won't lead to anything dangerous.
In fact what's happening is countries like Brazil are coming finally into economic and international power, and finding that their old sense of victimization doesn't fit their new huge shiny body. And as such are quietly adapting to the dignity of a world power, or at least a content economically comfortable nook.
ALBA is just the ugliest manisfestation of this. Look for it to unravel with lightning speed.
(I'd continue trying to add Russia, China and North Korea into this puzzle, but maybe that would be pushing it. . .)
China is mostly harmless, if anything China's threat on the world stage is that it's the ultimate annoyingly neutral cock blocker. It really badly wants to project this image of harmony and non-interference (to the point of not calling a spade a spade). So the idea of them going to war over Iran is silly. If anything if some huge war did break out, China would love it for the ability to sit back and watch rivals fuck eachother up.
Russia….mostly similar. I highly doubt Russians will tolerate their government dragging them into some war over Iran of all places.
North Korea? What are they gonna do?
Ed: That being said, man, do we deserve to get our companies "stolen". That goes to show the joke of a country Spain has become. And of course, an oil company does not represent me in any way shape or form.
sry for killing your empire brosef, pullitzer was rely convincing and stuff