Amir Taheri, an Iranian himself, has "The Frightening Truth of Why Iran Wants the Bomb". He asserts that Iranian President Ahmadinejad believes he is acting on behalf of the "Hidden Imam" in an effort to provoke a "clash of civilizations" between Islam and the West.

In Ahmadinejad's analysis, the rising Islamic "superpower" has decisive advantages over the infidel. Islam has four times as many young men of fighting age as the West, with its ageing populations. Hundreds of millions of Muslim "ghazis" (holy raiders) are keen to become martyrs while the infidel youths, loving life and fearing death, hate to fight. Islam also has four-fifths of the world's oil reserves, and so controls the lifeblood of the infidel. More importantly, the US, the only infidel power still capable of fighting, is hated by most other nations.

According to this analysis, spelled out in commentaries by Ahmadinejad's strategic guru, Hassan Abassi, known as the "Dr Kissinger of Islam", President George W Bush is an aberration, an exception to a rule under which all American presidents since Truman, when faced with serious setbacks abroad, have "run away". Iran's current strategy, therefore, is to wait Bush out. And that, by "divine coincidence", corresponds to the time Iran needs to develop its nuclear arsenal, thus matching the only advantage that the infidel enjoys.

Read the whole thing. If Taheri is right, then war is unavoidable.

Bill Crawford has another installment of his regular feature about the good news from Iraq.

Arnaud de Borchgrave has a pessimistic assessment of the global scene.

This article from the Washington Post lays out the bleak scenario for Republicans as they approach the midterm elections. Michael Barone, on the other hand, lays out the scenario that would keep the GOP in charge of Congress, despite the President's dismal approval ratings.