Least surprising WikiLeaks revelations:
Belusconi and Putin are an item. So what else is new? They use the same business model: control of the media in the service of tyranny and kleptocracy. Putin is more successful at it, because Italy has protections Russia lacks. But Berlusconi’s willingness to carry Putin’s water, though it ought to be embarrassing, isn’t really shocking.
Saudis want the U.S. to Attack Iran What could be better, from a Saudi viewpoint, than war between the U.S. and Iran? Note that the Saudis (and our other Arab quasi-friends) are willing to fight Iran to the last American. They have no interest whatever in doing anything themselves.
This just reinforces my belief that the best play from the U.S. side is to avoid confrontation. Unless we take actions to prop it up, the Iranian tyranny isn’t going to go on forever, and our long-term interest is in a friendly, republican Iran to serve as a counterweight to both Russia and the Arabs. An attack would just cement the mullahs in power.
In fact, a cable released today contains the very phrase, 'The Saudis are willing to fight Iran to the last American.'
Tyranny? Kleptocracy? Examples please. Maybe you could say that Putin is using tyranny to partially undo kleptocracy, but it was a kleptocracy when he got there.