Netanyahu's Speech and Latin America

I haven't bothered commenting on today's Benjamin Netanyahu speech before Congress, though now thanks to my member of Congress there is a Latin America angle.

Closer to home, Iran collaborates with hostile nations like Venezuela, Cuba, and Argentina, seeking to expand their influence to undermine the United States.

He finishes with a quote from the Bible to argue that Netanyahu is like Winston Churchill (no threat assessment is complete without at least an indirect reference to Hitler). The Iran-Latin America threat is pretty old and tired by now (remember how it was a pressing threat eight years ago?). But here's the funny thing. If Iran is trying to expand the influence of those three countries, it's failing miserably! Two have very unpopular leaders while the other has a elderly dictator feebly reaching out to the United States, while all three face serious economic problems.

At this point, it is impossible for Venezuela, Cuba, or Argentina--much less Iran--to do much of anything to U.S. influence in Latin America or elsewhere. For example, do you remember all the controversy about Venezuela taking a rotating seat on the UN Security Council? This was a threat! A return to the Cold War! And then...nothing. It didn't matter after all, as many of us predicted.

In sum, if you want to make an argument for Iran posing a threat, you undermine your own credibility immediately by revealing that you believe it is a threat in the Western Hemisphere.