Christopher Hitchens, on the ayatollahs blaming everything on the British.
One of the signs of Iran’s underdevelopment is the culture of rumor and paranoia that attributes all ills to the manipulation of various demons and satans. And, of course, the long and rich history of British imperial intervention in Persia does provide some support for the notion. But you have no idea how deep is the primitive belief that it is the Anglo-Saxons—more than the CIA, more even than the Jews—who are the puppet masters of everything that happens in Iran.
The Manichean belief system of some far leftists who support Ahmadinejab (in their delusion that he stands against imperialism and thus is an ally) is similar to that of the ayatollahs. Everything is black and white and all problems are due to machinations of the imperialists.
Such leftists would appear to have little actual belief in the power of the people, else they wouldn’t be implying the people of Iran are easily manipulated, helpless puppets dangling on a string – an attitude that bizarrely mimics that of the colonialists they oppose.