As one that has zero understanding of the complex dynamics of these two movements, reading this is incredibly insightful. Your continued posts are invaluable insights beyond the soundbite media landscape and much appreciated.
I think you can refine your arguments if you expand your definition to refer to critical campists. Critical campists do celebrate the failures of empire because a weaker empire does make their goals more attainable.
Something I had trouble parsing in your arguments however, is where imperial pressure genuinely does create internal friction. You lightly touched on this with your section on the regime saying “now is not the time,” but if the imposed war has shown us anything, this external pressure is not imagined. It has been real for 47 years under the IRI.
It was real for 26 years under Reza Shah and before him under Reza Khan. It was real during the Great Game period under the Qajars.
For over 150 years, Iran has had the West imposing its will on Iranians. Why is this not a part of your analysis? Why are you blaming Iran for inflation when they did not invite war? Why are you blaming Iran for going up the escalation ladder only when attacked? The gulf states weren’t hit out of the blue, and civilian casualties are non-existent in the gulf.
So I’m curious why this piece is being published now, especially since Iran has won a victory against Trump. Is it discomforting to know that their criticisms of the west are crystal clear now, and that they are about to break out of 150 years of containment since the Great Game?
Good points!
As one that has zero understanding of the complex dynamics of these two movements, reading this is incredibly insightful. Your continued posts are invaluable insights beyond the soundbite media landscape and much appreciated.
Thank you!
I think you can refine your arguments if you expand your definition to refer to critical campists. Critical campists do celebrate the failures of empire because a weaker empire does make their goals more attainable.
Something I had trouble parsing in your arguments however, is where imperial pressure genuinely does create internal friction. You lightly touched on this with your section on the regime saying “now is not the time,” but if the imposed war has shown us anything, this external pressure is not imagined. It has been real for 47 years under the IRI.
It was real for 26 years under Reza Shah and before him under Reza Khan. It was real during the Great Game period under the Qajars.
For over 150 years, Iran has had the West imposing its will on Iranians. Why is this not a part of your analysis? Why are you blaming Iran for inflation when they did not invite war? Why are you blaming Iran for going up the escalation ladder only when attacked? The gulf states weren’t hit out of the blue, and civilian casualties are non-existent in the gulf.
So I’m curious why this piece is being published now, especially since Iran has won a victory against Trump. Is it discomforting to know that their criticisms of the west are crystal clear now, and that they are about to break out of 150 years of containment since the Great Game?
the Lego animations are awesome...your loss for not watching them.