Slashdot Mirror
Iran's High Tech Copycat War Against the West: Drones and Cyberwar
An anonymous reader writes "Iran and its nuclear program seem to be getting all the headlines. Yet, Iran has found a way to respond to western cyber attacks such as Stuxnet, drone surveillance and targeted assassinations; they've decided to respond in kind. Iran has launched its own cyber attacks on U.S. banks via denial-of-service attacks. Iranian drones recently were used to spy on Israeli nuclear facilities. Cyberweapons were also used against Saudi oil facilities. The goal: to make sure the west, specifically the United States, knows that Iran does have the tools to strike back. While Iran does not have a world-class military like the United States, it does have the capabilities to cause damage if it wants to. With Iran taking to cyberspace and drones, it shows such technology is not just under the control of the U.S. Iran has been careful, though, not to escalate the conflict. The risk: what if the plan backfires and goes beyond its intended scope?"
I'll just touch on a few of those false accusations
1. "invaded neighboring countries" -- only after being attacked first. Not once, not twice, but three times. 48, 67, and 73. Most of the land, such as the Sinai peninsula, that Israel took, they gave back for peace in further negotiations. It worked with the Egyptians as long as we paid them the necessary Jizya (we still do), and Sadat got assassinated for his trouble. If Palestinians actually wanted the same, they could have it tomorrow but after decades and decades of playing games, why should Israel stop construction on land it conquered in a defensive conflict if Palestinians never make any serious attempt at peace. Stop the settlements first, you say? Israel did that. A year passed and the Palestinians did nothing to demonstrate good faith. Give back Gaza? They did that. Tens of thousands of rockets and an invasion later, the Palestinians have themselves a new place to fire unguided rockets into civilian population centers.
2. "repressed it's people in to poverty and apartheid" -- first off. Palestinians are not Israel's people. Those in Jerusalem have the option to gain Israeli citizenship and gain full rights but many choose not to. Those who have have every single right that other Israelis do, regardless of religion. About 20% of Israel's population is Arab -- many of whom descend from those Arabs who chose to stay with the Jews and fight for independence. Those in the west bank are governed by Fatah and those in Gaza by Hamas. Becuase they do not hold Israeli citizenship, of course they do not have the same rights in israel. As an American, I do not have the same rights in the EU. That's not apartheid and comparing it to racial separation is offensive.