Iran knows it's strengths and weaknesses well. They have designs on a Caliphate - they want to unite the entire peninsula and north africa into an Islamic security group of likeminded nations and cooperative economy.
Lots of people want lots of things. Unfortunately for the Iranian Caliph of oil and sand, nobody is particuarly interested in letting Iran be involved in Iraq, Saudi, Egypt, Turkey, Libya, or anyplace else including Afghanistan. The Strait will be re-opened and Bush or Pelosi or Hillary! or whoever is Pres then will do it.
After which, the allied countries will descend back into savagry and scratchy toilet paper.
When our backs are to the wall, we will find a way to keep up our standard of living. It might take a little while but Americans perform best when under fire.
I am so losing interest in anything that comes from the mouths of crazy ME people.
I feel sorry for the country of Israel, but in reality, their citizens are a whole lot more united behind their government than people in this country are.
1-2 years in the military for every young adult in this country wouldn't hurt them a bit. I have always admired the Israelis for insisting that each person participate in the defense of their country, even if only in a support capacity and not in a fighting capacity.
It's not quite that simple. Caliphates were always Sunni, Iran has always gone their own way as Shia Muslims. Shiites are only 10% of Islamic world and are at enternal loggerheads with the Sunni majority, particularly the Saudi Wahabbi strain of Sunnis who have the most money and influence. Study a little of the history of Islam, there's no way the Saudis would accept any Shia concept of a Caliphate.