What does the Iranian presidents' death mean for the Middle East? | Reason Roundtable | May 20, 2024

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman consider U.S. foreign policy toward Iran in the wake of a helicopter crash that left Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian dead.
00:00 - Iranian president dies in helicopter crash
16:46 - Drug Enforcement Administration's proposal to reschedule marijuana
34:59 - Weekly Listener Question
45:54 - Reason Weekend 2024
56:09 - This week's cultural recommendations
Send your questions to [e-mail]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
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Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve
Producer: Hunt Beaty

[@martinmateev7517]

Cod Campaign is getting hot 🔥

[@No.00000]

Noooo💀💀💀

[@Pad2Paper]

Butcher of Tehran is now gone. Unfortunately, I doubt little will change in Iran since the theocracy has such a strong power hold.

[@whousa642]

People want it that way

[@aganib4506]

​@@whousa642Which people, though?

[@whousa642]

@@aganib4506 Iranian people

[@aganib4506]

@@whousa642 What makes you think all of them want to maintain the theocracy?

[@whousa642]

@@aganib4506 Are you a child? Did I say all of them?

[@meritholdingllc123]

His death means nothing, he was a figurehead of the ayatollah. Nothing more. Not that reason staff would recognize that.

[@tomlxyz]

Exactly. It's surprising that most people in the west think it actually means anything that he's dead

[@jbejaran]

Students ARE diverse. Never hang out at the top of the bell curve. Everyone there is mean.

[@modicool]

That's true. They are definitely mean.

[@HVACSoldier]

Don’t forget the Libertarian Party National Convention, coming this weekend.

[@johnbuckner2828]

56:24 that sounds like a good 📕. I think I’ll give that a read. Kind of made me think of ‘The Bobiverse’ by Dennis E. Taylor, which I enjoyed.

[@Rorschachqp]

Now the Iranians know that no one is safe…in their own helicopters, lol.

[@tomlxyz]

I know people from Iran and they say the death means nothing. He was just pre picked anyway and another will follow

[@bmatt2626]

I feel adrenalated. Thanks.

[@christophergray7991]

Here is the problem smoking weeds stinks. And while on the one hand I say you can live your life, but when my home gets filled with the stink of bad weed there we have a problem.

[@MrKangdon]

Katherine: sanctions or no sanctions, anything can (and will) be blamed on the USA (... and the jews).

[@cbtillery135]

Why are you a racist

[@glennmitchell9107]

Whose knobs are we twiddling?

[@abramgaller2037]

There are two problems with drugs there is government artifact with criminal law, and there is inebriation while driving and other sensitive operations. Inebriation while engaged in sensitive operations violates the non-aggression principle .

[@woodchuck003]

I find the answer around "book bans" in elementary school to be rather disingenuous. I am not sure when the libertarian position became you must give Playboy to children under the age of 18. Nick suggestion about having parents write book reports suggest that he has not seen the numerous news articles and KZbin videos in which parents are reading excerpts from the books they want removed from school libraries. The parents are then asked to stop reading as it is too sexual for the school board meeting, in some cases they are banned and security/police is called.

[@Parsan1388]

It means that we are finally free

[@whousa642]

How?

[@modicool]

@@whousa642 he doesn't know.

[@whousa642]

@@modicool not a thing has changed There are millions of evils to follow

[@strikingitrich7630]

You mean murder right?

[@manuelabello2033]

Word was Raisi was in the running vs the supreme leader's son to succeed the ayatollah. There could be something there or maybe not..

[@norahjaneeast5450]

Remind me 2020 started with a horrible event Kobe Bryant who's helicopter is probably way better but probably wasn't using the kind of radar that airplane came with anyway not sure if I want World War III start because some idiot ruler of a country decided he was going to build a fly in the fog and unfortunately he flew in the side of a Hill

[@ejpoleii]

I as in "irrelevant". RA as in "rah". N as in "in". Just tack that in front of "ian" as in Indian.

[@MrMcgooOG]

Persians are not inbreds.

[@justoguillermomontoya3821]

Iran is Not the provocateur in the region, it is Israel. Nick Gillespie is wrong

[@sidjoosin6549]

It is a mistake to think Iran as authoritarian dictatorship as for example Russia - since Putin become president there were 5 differents presidents in Iran (Khatami elected in 2001, Ahmadinejad - 2005 and 2009, Rouhani - 2013 and 2017, Raisi - 2021, and one who became president after Raisi's death). On the other hand, in same period Russia invaded and annexed Chechnya (Second Ruso-Chechen war, 2000-2005), invaded Georgia in 2008 (annexed Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia), destroyed to the ground Aleppo and Northern Syria (2013-..), annexed Crimea (2014) and invaded Ukraine (2022-..); and Iran invaded nothing. While Russia openly declare having nuclear weapon and having it's biggest in the world arsenal, and development of new means of it's delivery as major priority, and readiness to use of it as a doctrine; Iran is openly declaring of NOT having one and NOT having intentions to weaponize nuclear technology - and not despite but because of such "liquid" approach Americans killed at least one Iranian general (Suleymani) without court decision or declaration of war, in the same time US dared to kill 0 Russian general and 0 private, as well as 0 Chinese and 0 North Koreans

[@whousa642]

Nonsense

[@barfo281]

FYI: Crimea had two elections; one to secede from Ukraine, and a second one, a few weeks later, to join the Russian Federation.

[@barfo281]

@@whousa642 Neocon.

[@whousa642]

@@barfo281 bullcrap

[@barfo281]

@@whousa642 Show us on the doll where truth hurt you, neocon weasel.

[@raygrange7312]

It means nothing. They’ll reinstate another crazy.