Yes, but it's just as likely that the U.S. could be moving in a different direction and could be serious about "engaging" (befriending) Iran. In which case, Iran's utility to Western leftists would be completely lost. What a tragic turn that would be.
>> Now, "moderate" is an interesting word in the techical jargon of
>> diplomacy; "moderate" means you follow orders. So the "moderate" Arab
>> States are the brutal Egyptian dictatorship and the most extreme,
There's nothing "interesting" about this. Everyone who reads a newspaper understands it. When Gordon Fitch was on this list, he used to say that Chomsky's appeal is that he simply repackages what everyone already knows. Audiences get to feel smart because they already understand what the great Chomsky says, but nobody actually learns anything or thinks differently about how the world works. At the time, I thought Gordon was a bit harsh, but I'm starting to see it now.
As a side note, it's always entertaining, for a few minutes anyway, to witness the joy with which leftists play at geopolitics. Yoshie and the bleacher section at Lenin's Tomb can barely contain themselves, offering advice, discerning possibilities, belittling the protests. At times like these, politics becomes a game of Risk, which is what Leninoids are most comfortable playing.