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If N. Korea is the Threat, Why is all the War Talk about a Weak Iran?

Juan Cole 04/05/2013

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All the talk in Washington is about war on Iran, which poses no threat to the United States. But one never hears belligerence toward North Korea, which routinely menaces the US (most recently threatening to nuke the US territory of Guam). In contrast, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said his country cannot have nuclear weapons because they are incompatible with Islamic law (which forbids killing innocent noncombatants).

North Korea Iran
Nuclear Warheads: 8 Nuclear Warheads: 0
Times has threatened to nuke US: 1 Times has threatened to nuke US: 0
Air Force Personnel 85,000 Air Force Personnel: 30,000
tanks: 3,500 tanks: 1,613
Active Troops: 1,106,000 585,000
8500 artillery field pieces 3000 artillery field pieces

Aljazeera English reports:

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page

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