So I was just listening to NPR in the car and heard a brief story on how Iran’s imposing gas-rationing because they don’t make enough for domestic consumption. They spent $5 billion last year importing gas which they then subsidize so the average Iranian pays a mere 40 cents a gallon. Now I understand that they don’t have the refining capacity so they have to import gas and all that. But it’s amazing that they don’t just, you know, build some new refineries. I don’t know how much they cost, but $5 billion a year sounds like it would cover the costs pretty easily. The reason we don’t build refineries here has to do with democratic politics — Nimbyism, environmentalism, etc. They don’t have that in Iran, at least not like we do. I’d be interested to here Michael Rubin’s or Michael Ledeen’s take, but my guess is that importing gas is a wonderful source of corruption. I can imagine all sorts of opportunities for bootlegging, skimming, bribery etc in a system like that. I find it hard to believe that Iran can get materials to build nuclear reactors on the international market but not the equipment necessary to build a gas refinery. And yet they don’t build ‘em. If it’s not corruption, why else leave yourself open to the one form of economic sanction that can potentially cripple your regime?