Commentary
The removal of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is fracturing a largely unofficial partnership known as the CRINKS (China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea). None of the other countries in the partnership have come to Iran’s material aid with even civilian, much less military, assistance. They have kept their support to a minimum, mostly limited to rhetorical posturing at places like the United Nations. The military successes against Iran, which so shortly followed the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria, are an increasingly loud wake-up call to dictators everywhere. If you oppose the United States, you are not safe.
