The hooha over Iran’s leader falling, only to be replaced by a new one, is jaded in the international scene by an insistence that free countries get behind America as soon as the order is given.
It’s obvious in halls of power across Europe that Ali Khamenei had to be confronted at some point, liked only perhaps in his own country, and yet hated to increasing degrees elsewhere.
The despotic way of thinking that had come to define his rule, and intrusive way of being alongside a political elite not prone to being assertive, didn’t win friends but alienated people.
This is the argument for his demise, and against his continuation as a problem in everyone’s eyes.
But America has a mentality that says we must rally behind its every move, seeking a new world order at every turn, and that it’s only a matter of time before every domino falls.
There’s less enthusiasm for this than is believed in the White House, where internals are ignored at the altar of ultimate victory. European leaders see dark skies ahead, but not just for the reason America has in mind, and with worries that are different in kind to theirs.

