When I wrote in an opinion piece back in May that elections in Iran and Afghanistan will have implications for the rest of the world, my sense was that both the elections will be close, and the result would be internal polarization leading to unrest, which would then spill outside the borders. And, almost everything there blows up.
While the polarization and riots and a police state have already happened in Iran, I am still surprised at the stupidly orchestrated electoral fraud. I mean, can't they at least copy the American model on that? haha!
Now, all kidding aside, the Afghan situation worries me. Because, at least in Iran the US could be a spectator hoping that the Ayatollah's beard would be yanked off by angry protesters. But, Afghanistan is a different story--we are deeply entrenched in Afghanistan. Whatever happens there, we will always be considered an accomplice, if not the main agent. As the blog Abu Muqawama puts it (HT), ""another Iran" -- only with our fingerprints all over it." Ouch!
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