Written by  Dennis M. Nilsen   The United States and its (ever dwindling number of) allies have since the erection of the Islamic Republic in 1979 continually faulted the Iranian state for a series of behaviors which they argue prevent peace either to the region of the Middle East and Persian Gulf or – at any given moment when liberal statesmen and theorists become particularly vexed – to the world order of states itself.  The much maligned and much misunderstood ballistic missile program of the Islamic Republic currently holds pride of place as the key ingredient causing this Western indignation.  Begun during the War of Holy Defense that commenced with the invasion of the newly declared Republic by Saddam Hussein in 1980, successive Iranian presidents have continued to devote a consistent percentage of the state’s annual budget to what they view as a key to the nation’s conventional deterrence. It is accepted as a principle of the international order that sovereign states hav

Egyptian military in the Sinai in December. Source: Reuters On February 9, the Egyptian Army launched a large military operation against “terrorist and criminal elements and organizations” in the Sinai peninsula and other parts of the country. The operation covers the areas of Sinai, the Delta and the Western Desert. “The law enforcement forces began this morning implementing the comprehensive confrontation against the terrorist and criminal elements and organizations in northern and central Sinai,” a spokesman for the army, Colonel Tamer al-Rifai, said in a statement. The official added that the goal was to “tighten control on the country’s borders and . . . clean up terrorist hotspots and immunise Egyptian society against the evils of terrorism and extremism.” The Egyptian Air Force provides air cover to the operation and already carried out over 40 airstrikes on militant targets in the area. AWACS aircraft are also inolved. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi gave the army