Friedman Echoes COTTonLINE

Recollect I wrote two weeks ago that perhaps the Arabs need a "nanny" because they seem incapable of meaningful self-government. And I suggested Iran or Turkey as possible regional providers of adult supervision.

Today's column by The New York Times' Tom Friedman echoes that thought and his suggestion is ... wait for it ... Iran. See what he writes:

If this nuclear deal with Iran is finalized, and sanctions lifted, much more Iranian oil will hit the global market, suppressing prices and benefiting global consumers. Then again, Iran would have billions of dollars more to spend on cyberwarfare, long-range ballistic missiles and projecting power across the Arab world. (emphasis added)

Do we really care if Iran tries to play policeman there and is embroiled in endless struggles with Sunni militias?  For 10 years, it was America that was overstretched across Iraq and Afghanistan. Now it will be Iran’s turn.

Managing the decline of the Arab state system is not a problem we should own. We’ve amply proved that we don’t know how.

As long as we are okay with Iran squashing Israel like a bug, the rest of Tom's program sounds great. There'd need to be ironclad safeguards in place to keep Israel safe.