The other day Andrew Sullivan ran an interesting story about the way that some Iranian fans, hijab-free, and waving the former Iranian flag, were cheering for Iran’s team in the World Cup. It was, he thought, a sign of hope. And in a way it was. But it was also a reminder that, notwithstanding ethnic divisions within the country, Iranian nationalism is real, durable and has a way of persisting whatever the nature of the regime currently running the place. That’s not a good omen for anyone thinking of launching an attack/surgical strike/Jack Bauer/whatever euphemism you would choose to use.
Just a thought.