Commentary on the UAE Weapons Seizure
The shipment of RPG’s and detonators to Iran being akin to shipping snow to South Dakota in February, I continue to be curious about the ultimate destination for those weapons. Like GI Korea, I think it makes sense that Iran might have been using North Korea as a plausibly deniable source for weapons it planned to give to Shiite militias in Iraq, or to al Qaeda. Iran, after all, is a major manufacturer of antitank missiles, including RPG’s, in its own right. It gives me cause to fear that Iran is planning some kind of Easter Offensive for Iraq. The more I think about this, the less sense it makes that this could have been anything but a willful effort by both Iran and North Korea to arm terrorists.
President Bush removed North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism on October 11, 2008. Discuss.
But the reason I’m posting this is simply to link to some commentary by Claudia Rosett and Don Kirk on the story.
Update: Here, on the other hand, is the kind of baseless conspiracy theory I don’t even like to see printed in an adult publication. I’m no fan of Vlad Putin to be sure and put very little past him, but I think it’s unbecoming of Time to go to print with a story based entirely on one guy’s speculation.
“….I think it makes sense that Iran might have been using North Korea as a plausibly deniable source for weapons it planned to give to Shiite militias in Iraq, or to al Qaeda. Iran, after all, is a major manufacturer of antitank missiles, including RPG’s, in its own right.”
i think it’s a very plausible theory.
or maybe i’ve seen and enjoyed ‘charlie wilson’s war’ too many times.
“or to al Qaedaâ€
Al-Qaeda, being a Sunni extremist (Salafi) group, views Shiites as absolute infidels akin to non-believers. They hate the Islamic Republic of Iran with a passion and Iran hates them as well. They also are criticial of Shiite Islamist groups for not partaking of the global jihad and for denying training camps/bases to Sunni transnational groups in Lebanon. The Taliban and Iran almost went to war in the 90s. The idea that Iran is giving arms to Al-Qaeda is highly problematic. I, however, have worried for some time that North Korea may sell nuclear/biological technology or arms to an Al-Qaida like group or to a third party who would sell it to them.
You find it illogical that Shiite Muslim extremists would work with Sunni Muslim extremists, then. So notwithstanding evidence to the contrary, do you find it illogical that Shiite Muslim extremists would work with atheist infidels who eat swine and dogs? And for that matter, why don’t you find it illogical that the same Sunni Muslim extremists who installed the Taliban would work with atheist infidels who eat swine and dogs?
The answer to all of these questions is found in an old Arab proverb: “I and my brother against my cousin, I and my cousin against the stranger.” If Hitler and make a pact with a Marxist (Stalin) and an untermensch (Tojo), then AQ can accept assistance from Iran while it kills more moderate Iraqi shiites.