Sunday's Los Angeles Times has a fascinating piece below-the-fold about the Iranian diaspora community in Los Angeles — the largest anywhere outside of Iran — and the efforts by various national security agencies (including the CIA) to gather intelligence about Iran from this ex-pat community. The story meanders a bit, and covers some interesting anecdotes having to do with an Iranian group which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

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As the story notes, the U.S. has a decidedly mixed history when it comes to dealing with ex-pats and trying to employ them either as intelligence gatherers, proxy warriors, or an army-in-waiting for use in a foreign country. The historical analogy that seemed most apt to me as I read this article was that of the Cuban ex-pat population in Florida, and the myriad ways it has been used since 1959 to gather intelligence about Cuba, foment rebellion in Cuba, and even try to invade Cuba (the Bay of Pigs fiasco). More recent use of diaspora communities, such as the attempted employment of "Free Iraqi Forces" and the Chalabi-led Iraqi National Congress, haven't done very well either.

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