Gordon Campbell: On The Selling Out Of Iran

First Venezuela, then Iran. In its modern versions of gunboat diplomacy, the United States is willing to weaken a terrible regime, but not to replace it. Therefore, the US will allow the regime in Venezuela and the mullahs in Iran to continue to oppress their captive populations, so long as the leadership obeys orders, and allows the US to dictate their regional roles. Regime change is to be treated only as a very last resort, since sweeping away the old order might bring all kinds of unpredictable forces into play, such as nationalism.