Axis of Evil in disarray?

Looking at two stories today, one from James T. Hackett and published in the Washington Times, the other by way of Captain’s Quarters in the Gulf in the Media describe the economic morass in North Korea and Iran, respectively.

According to Hackett, North Korea is having problems internally because Il can’t pay off his military and political leaders;

Stories out of North Korea may explain the government’s belligerence. South Korean intelligence sources claim to have the text of remarks Kim Jong-il made to government and military leaders shortly after the July missile launch. Mr. Kim reportedly said he decided to launch the missiles because of the “serious situation within North Korea.”
    The serious situation is the threat to his regime caused by unrest resulting from economic difficulties and food shortages. A South Korean aid official told the press the fuel shortage in the North is worse than he has ever seen it, and power outages are more frequent than at any time in the last 10 years. South Korean intelligence reportedly claims the unrest has spread to the party, government, and military elites who keep Chairman Kim in power.

While in Iran, according to the Agence France-Presse story;

Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh has lamented that the development of Iran’s oil industry was suffering from US pressure.

“Iran has been under different sanctions for years and many companies have not been able to cooperate with our country for fear of US pressures,” Vaziri Hamaneh said, according to the semi-official news agency Fars on Tuesday.

“They even do not easily deliver some dual-purpose equipment that we had previously bought. They cause trouble for us under different pretexts,” he said.

“Foreign banks have been refusing to cooperate in the field of investment and financing,” he said, adding that in response Iran has put its focus on domestic sources to replace foreign companies.

So, in a manner reminiscent on a smaller scale to what the West did to the Soviet Union, we appear to be breaking them. But, we don’t have the benefit of an Iranian or Korean Gorbachov who will react predictably and rationally to their collapse. Instead, we have two whackjobs who might try to retain their power by lashing out at their nearest perceived enemy (much like how Tom Clancy predicted the Soviet Union would react in Red Storm Rising) to try to unite their populace behind them. And with oil-rich Chavez in Venezuela on their side, it may trigger a real oil war.

Category: Terror War