What Gulf?

The United States, which under President Obama has promised to engage Iran on the basis of mutual respect, and which under both presidents Bush and Obama has professed its admiration for the Iranian people and their culture (if not for their government), this week announced the appointment of Dennis Ross as the point person in charge of the Iran portfolio at the State Department (but curiously not the White House). In its announcement, however, the State Department referred not to Iran, but to some fictitious place it calls "The Gulf," a body of water not found on any reputable map.

In doing so, the State Department undoubtedly knew it would tweak the noses of the Ahmadinejad government as well as the Ayatollahs and leadership in Tehran, but it should have also known that Iranians everywhere, of every political stripe, inside and outside Iran, would be equally incensed at what they have perceived over the last few years as an attempt by the U.S. (and its Arab allies) to diminish, distort, and tarnish their history, which they view as glorious and deserving of admiration. As citizens of the only nation in the region with a history (as a nation) longer than 100 years, the name "Persian Gulf" is an incredibly sensitive issue for Iranians, and regardless of political opinion or leanings, they take great offense at any attempt to change a historic name they take great pride in. Leaving aside the issue of whether Ambassador Ross is the best choice given Iranian (and some Arab) distaste for his perceived biases, it would behoove the State Department spokesmen and women to carefully consider the sensitivities of the Iranian people (as well consulting a map or an encyclopedia) in future references to the region. Only if the U.S. is sincere in its desire to engage Iran, and to be a friend to (at least) the Iranian people, that is.

Comments

[anti-tazi]

American Journalist arrested in Iran.

Roxana Saberi
Journalist arrested in Iran

NPR: Authorities in Iran have arrested and detained an American freelance journalist who has reported for NPR, the BBC and other news organizations. Roxana Saberi, 31, was born in the United States to an Iranian-born father and Japanese-born mother. Saberi moved to Iran six years ago and was arrested in Tehran almost a month ago. In an interview with NPR, her father, Reza Saberi, said he last heard from her on Feb. 10. "She called from an unknown place and said she's been kept in detention," he said from Fargo, N.D., where her family lives. He said she had been in detention for 10 days at that point. "She said that she had bought a bottle of wine and the person that sold it had reported it and then they came and arrested her," he said, adding that that was just an excuse to arrest her >>>
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101306180

[research]

Report: 40 Journalists Arrested, Detained at RNC

In Minnesota, a local estimate says some forty journalists were arrested or detained during last week’s Republican National Convention in St. Paul. The Minnesota Independent has published a list that includes Associated Press reporters, an AP photographer, a St. Paul Pioneer Press photographer, a New York Post freelance photographer, independent journalists, college journalists, and three of us at Democracy Now!—myself [Amy Goodman] and producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/11/headlines

[anti-tazi]

False Equality . Not all arrests are equal.

Last time an Iranian-Canadian journalist got arrested, she died in prison.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahra_Kazemi

[nancyhira]

It always seems that the people who take the "bomb the hell out of 'em" attitude neither know nor care who or where"'em" are. Americans' knowledge of geography is horribly inadequte and/or inaccurate. When I taught Political Science at a local college, I kept a globe in the classroom -- we always discussed the location of countries in analyzing their strategic positions. But most of my students had little or no interest in such things. They did, however, love Rush and Hannity -- and their xenophobia just meant, to them, that they were real patriots.

[daddyG56]

Let's do away with our dependence on foreign oil; then we can refer to it as "That Place We Used to Be So Concerned About." How would that grab you, Mr. Majd?

[Soori]

Good idea. I think President Obama is trying to wheen the U.S. from foreign oil from countries who hate the U.S. Obviously Iran is under sanctions; so it couldn't possibly be Iran. On the other hand the friendly moderate client states which provide oil to the U.S. every time the U.S. needs it are considered enemies (i.e. Saudi Arabia; Kuwait, the UAE). It is so wonderful when America likes to maintain its military bases in these countries, builds an embassy larger than Vatican city, begs them to come in and rescue their failing and bankrupt financial institutions; asks them to provide financial aid to the regimes they want to topple, but then they are called enemies. They recently sent their wonderful envoys to Abu Dhabi and Qatar (the sovereign wealth funds) begging for more money - response was we have given you enough!

If the Arab countries were smart they would start uniting and stop being puppets to a country who considers you a friend today and calls you an enemy tomorrow. If any of these Arab countries have any self-respect they should remember how the U.S. treated the Shah of Iran their best ally!

[daddyG56]

Unless I'm mistaken, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait want US forces in their countries. As far as Arab countries uniting goes, I sincerely hope you aren't holding your breath waiting for that to happen.

I hope that I can live long enough to see the ME left to its own devices. I would love to see real peace and real progress there, but given the history of the region, I doubt it will happen in this century.

[angel12]

Writing as an old Vietnam vet (engaged IN the war from 1966 to 1969), it will never cease to amaze me how so many Americans think we can still dominate any real nation---such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. Most Americans don't know a thing about Iran. I hear all the time gibberish such as "We should bomb the hell out of 'em!", which ignores our Vietnam experience, or even post-WWII bomb damage assessment of Germany. Iran, for god's sake, (putting it in terms which Americans MIGHT understand) is bigger than Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico COMBINED. It is bigger than Iraq, Afghanistan, AND Vietnam Combined. The terrain, from desert to huge mountains, could swallow up 100 divisions. The population is about 70 Million PERSIANS, with a literacy rate equal to our own; Vietnam's population N & S was about 40 Million during our war. A large minority were actually on our side----but, no decent Iranian now in Iran would be on ours if we invaded or bombed Iran. The population of Isreal, BTW, is only 6 million citizens---25% of which are Arabs. While the USA might not allow Isreal to help in a land invasion of Iran, the Isreali Defense (irony) Force and the US would find fighting Iranians a bloody thing. And the financial cost? Unimaginable. The end result? Goodbye to all this "Superpower" BS.

[MagisterLudi]

No one here is advocating an invasion of Iran. Your entire premise is drawn out of thin air.

[angel12]

Aside from the economic attacks, there were endless threats under Bush against Iran; the gun was always on the table. A lot of people thought that Isreal would launch pre-emptive air strikes, which, of course, would be useless. An air strike is an act of war. It always amazed me that North Vietnam never attacked our carriers off their coast.
And even today Ann Coulter urges the bombing/de­struction, of Iran. Coulter believes Canada was our ally in the Vietnam War, but, still, she has great credibility amongst the massively ill-informed. So, the Iran attack possibility is still out there amongst conservatives.

[DenverJJ]

H M,
With respect to you sir, I think, in every logical sense, the idea that a U.S. diplomat would focus on one country instead of political dynamic of the region is ludicrous. To do otherwise is to suggest that Iran would get "special treatment" or new importance in a very troubled part of the world. To be frank, get in line stop acting like the smart, but ugly sister that never gets a suitor. Iran's leadership style conflicts with the world view of charity, intellectual freedom(not moral abandon), and technological progress. If you want to be constructive have some objectivity friend. And to be very plain, if Iran's people want to be recognized as progressive, modern and worthy of American respect, vote out the leadership there. We think the that guy is just weird and that he might be a nutcase. We don't like his intolerance; it might win the radical vote, but the problem with radical leadership is that in order to survive they must escalate further and further to remain in power. Once they gain power through inciting hate that can only go in that direction there is no way back for them. If you know as much history as you claim, tell in what political context where this is formula is untrue and not, at the very least, extremely dangerous.
best of luck,
DenverJJ
http://writerswheel.blogspot.com/

[anti-tazi]

Voting out and elections in IRAN:

Sir, Elections in iran are nothing but a make-believe , a charade for the consumption of the International community and the sheeple domestically. They are rigged and fraught with fraud; dead people voting multiple times, votes are bought and sold easily; state employees have to vote iif they want to keep their job; and so on....

The President in Iran is powerless. He is the mouthpiece of the "Supreme Leader" who has the absolute power of veto on everything and is the commander-in-chief of all armed forces.

The candidates for presidency are vetted and selected by the Supreme Leader and another un-elected body. A good book about elections in Iran:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0520256638?tag=azarmehr-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0520256638&adid=18WR7CA
GH3VBWCHZC4FK&

More on sham elections in Iran:

http://www.defenddemocracy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11775535&Itemid=355

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-iran-campaign25-2009feb25,0,295526.story

The truth is that the Islamic regime, even despite the most restrictive candidate filtering, will pull out whoever it wants out of these dummy ballot boxes.


More on fake elections in IRAN:
http://www.irannewswatch.com/2005/06/boycott-irans-sham-election-by-reza.html

Supreme Leader:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Leader_of_Iran

[MagisterLudi]

The relationship with Iran should follow two simultaneous path.
1. Negotiations on areas mutually beneficial to Iran and the West.

2. Tightening of sanctions, denial of weapons; publications of Iranian literary works exposing to the world Iranian crimes; refugee status to political refugees from Iran; demand for more freedoms for minorities and non-conformists.

Eventually Iranian theocracy will fall of its own irrelevancy and backwardness.

[anti-tazi]

The Islamic Republic Leadership suffers from the same type of ethnocentrism and "exceptionalism".

The IRI needs to understand that there are multipe realties because there are multiple perceptions and the IRI does not have a monopoly on the truth.

IRI's stubborn insistence on its own version of realties on the ground without considering other' countriies concerns will only lead the leadership toward more paranoi and further isolation, which in turn have always resulted in more brutal repression against the Iranian people.
Best report on Iran policy by more than 20 Iran experts:

The Middle East Institue:
http://www.mideasti.org/files/Iran_Final.pdf

[anti-tazi]

Iran: Worsening Repression of Dissent as Election Approaches

Amnesty International February 2009

http://www.iranian-americans.com/2009/02/809.html

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/feature-stories/human-rights-violations-persist-iran-30-years-islamic-revolution-20090209

[anti-tazi]

typo correction: should be I can assure you....

Intoning zionism or labeling, hardly displays your ability to state your case in a well-reasoned manner. I'm pressed for time but will be back later. have a good day!

[Soori]

anti-tazi:
I have seen the likes of you on many blogs and your chatter is repetition of the same lines of thought - nothing new. You hate any organization whose mission is against any attempts by foreign governments and their elements to interfere in any kind in the internal affairs of their mother land; threats against her sovereign and territorial integrity and against illegal sanctions imposed by the UNSC on Iran and its people. People like you call them IRI Agents!! That's your tactic.

Obviously you wish nothing more than inviting Israel and the U.S. to do whatever they can, including spying on Iran, working with terrorist organizations such as the MEK, spying and assassinating Iranian scientists and resorting to sabotage and destruction of Iran's nuclear program on behest of Israel. Give me a break about Israel - Israel has been asking for the bombing of Iran since the early 1990s. In fact, it was Israel who demanded that if the U.S. invades Iraq it should finish the job with Iran. These ludicrous propaganda are for those who are ignorant not the well informed.

The tactic of divide and conquer is the masterpiece of U.S. foreign policy and Israel - every country who resists being a puppet is a threat to both nations. We have already seen what has happened to Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and the list is pretty long…..The common denominator is Israel and the U.S. not Iran.

[anti-tazi]

soori:
Wow, talk about hysterical and overactive imagination. I have young nephews and nieces in Iran. I don't wish them to be bombed into smitherenes. I don't belong to any lobby or political group. This fake anti-war rehtoric is no longer making any sense. Bush co. is gone and neocons are dead and as you mentioned the US is bankrupt. so, there is no threat of war against Iran.
And that is precisely why I have decided to no longer stay silent .
The hubris of organizations and entities whose main concern is to maintain the status quo in Iran by dangerously parroting the official line of the IRI is only going to lead to a costly war in the entire ME in the next ten years if the Islamic Republic does not change its behavior.

I wish the Islamic Republic comes to its sense and start to act like a NATION who cares about its citizens and the future of Iranian kids instead of bullying the world to buy legitimacy in the Arab streets by exploiting the anti-Israeli sentimetns on the Arab streets.

If the Islamic Republic had felt it was a legitimate government serving the interest of Iran and its own citizens, it would not have needed to resort to creating external enemies for no good reason.

Robert Fisk characterized the IRI as an IFANTILE NECROCRACY:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-iran-a-nation-still-haunted-by-its-bloody-past-1604054.html

[MagisterLudi]

It is interesting when former Iranian citizen, who chooses to live in the West, defends Iranian theocracy... but from afar. Often an element of romanticizing the past is involved.

[Soori]

The problem with the U.S. is she demonstrates a lack of interest in understanding other people, their culture and history. Maybe we are expecting too much from a country which has for too long believed that it is an island onto itself and needs not bother with the rest of the world.

I am even more shocked by reading so many comments on a “progressive” web-site from individuals who take pride, or dare I say ignorance in their lack of knowledge of Iranian history and geography. This comes as a surprise from a country who aims to teach the rest of the world about American values”. Before the U.S. Eagle attempts to spread its wings across the ocean there is a pre-requisite; it must acquire basic “knowledge” about a country which it says it wants to enter into a dialogue based on mutual respect.

A statesman who wants to achieve important and highly constructive goals for his country has to take the critical measures of understanding a country which the U.S. has for too long misunderstood. We do expect a lot more from Barack Obama, a particularly gifted person who has set high achievements and aims at taking bold initiatives on behalf of his country. We do not expect mediocrity from this President.

On a final note the body of water is and has always been called the “Persian Gulf”. No one can deny history no matter how some would like to distort the truth.

[anti-tazi]

Practice What you Preach,

soori; I can't assure you have no idea what you're talking about. Attacking my person will further damage your credibility:


The problem with the Islamic Republic (an oxymoron, btw) is she demonstrates a lack of interest in understanding other people, their culture and history. Maybe we are expecting too much from a leadership which has for too long believed that it is the AGENT OF GOD (Allah) on earth and considers its own citizens as *retards* who need a Velayate Faghih or a Supreme Leader to decide every aspects of political, social and economic life on earth for their subjects.


Definition of Velayte Faghih:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardianship_of_the_Islamic_Jurists

Here is what Phillipe Welti a career diplomat said about the Islamic republic leadership:

He saw mendacious officials manipulate public opinion and was disappointed by the cynicism of some top officials, who rationalized away concerns about human rights and freedom of expression by labeling them "Western" concepts.

He was struck by the provincialism of the officials, many of them recent arrivals to the capital from rural backwaters, he said. "I got the impression that there are officials who do not know the world well."
.

"As long as there is a gap between fundamentalist positions and international standards of intergovernmental exchange and relations, it will be difficult for Iran to engage fully with the world," he said.


http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-iran-diplomat9-2009feb09,0,6859545.story?page=1

[Soori]

The following is an excerpt from a lecture given by Dr. James Bill who has co-authored nine books, however, he made his most important contributions to American studies of Iran in his book, The Eagle and the Lion: The Tragedy of American-Iran Relations. Mr. Bill was a student of Iran for 43 years.

US-Iran Relations: Forty Years of Observation

http://www.mideasti.org/transcript/us-iran-relations-forty-years-observation

“In a world torn by inequality, weakened by misunderstanding, and convulsed by violence, the American eagle needs to do more than strengthen its wings and sharpen its talons. It must also improve its qualities of perception, its communications skills, and its moral credibility. Its painful experience with the Iranian lion in the Persian Gulf can prove to be a valuable learning experience. If so, the sometimes confused and ruffled American eagle can regain its capacity to soar in respected splendor and dignity across the turbulent international landscape.

Perception. Communications. Credibility. These are important aspects of American foreign policy and public diplomacy that-sadly-instead of soaring since that time, have sunk and sunk until America today is at its lowest popularity around the world in our 200-year history. Standing here today, in these lines I read a foreshadowing of 9/11-and of its aftermath, which is still playing out today.”

[Glenda Allen]

Iran has not attacked another country in over 300 years, unlike Israel which has attacked every country around it, stealing land and diverting water from Syria, Lebanon, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. If the Iranian people believe the area should be called the Persian Gulf and they have the historical records to back it, who are you to oppose it?

Israel is a state without borders because of its greed for more land and for full control over the entire ME. That's why it demands that Iran be harmed. Iran is not a perfect country; it needs reform, but so do Israel and the United States, which both torture and which are the proximate cause of the death of 1,350,000 Iraqis, etc. And you call Iran a bully state?

Harold Pinter, Jewish and Nobel Prize winner, and 102 other prominent Jews, wrote to the Independent in April 2008, that Israel was founded on terrorism, and continues to be a terrorist state. Both Hamas and Hizbullah are legitimate resistance groups against Israel's violation of 28 UN resolutions and its commission of crimes against humanity. They have a right to fight Israel against its non-stop atrocities against Lebanese and Palestinians.

Israel who violated the June 19th truce with Hamas, by continuing to blockade food and all necessities. It fully breached with its military incursion on November 4, killing 6 Palestinians. Israel did not complain then about rockets because there was no cause. Hamas retaliated with rockets. What would you expect?

[MagisterLudi]

re."What would you expect?"
I see, so because of Israel Iran is excused from oppressing its own population, issuing kill-on-sight fatwas against writers and journalists, beheading women for adultery, taking American diplomats hostages and training and funding terrorists all over the world... all because of Israel...

And this is what passes for reasoned discussion in some circles?

[Glenda Allen]

I've read your irrational comments fomenting war against Iran. You do that out of devotion to Israel and not because Iran has threatened this country. Israel has killed and seriously wounded journalists and tortured thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese. We have seen the videos of them killing Palestinians they have taken into custody even though the Palestinian may be blindfolded or incapacitated. Israel is quite proud of its targeted assassinations all over the world; and its bombing Lebanon and Gaza to smithereens. In fact, its citizens were angry that Israel didn't kill or destroy all. Read the Israeli papers and watch videos of them demanding "extermination" of all Palestinians. Do tell us more what a glorious, kind country is compared to Iran. No one who is knowledgeable will believe you.

[MagisterLudi]

Why aren't opinions by Iranian dissidents published?
Why is every progressive Iranian opposing current theocracy is immediately labeled war monger, or worse?
Let's be consistent.
Let's use a version of a Golden Rule--don't make excuses for a state in which you wouldn't want to live in.
And let's have far less apologists and Ahmadinejad's associates.

[Noland]

Hmm, well, I believe you have the grave impression that the average American gives a damn what you think. Bad assumption. Should our leaders get it right, yes, of course, and it’s embarrassing for country when such errors are made and they should know better. Call it American arrogance/ignorance if you will but as representatives of our Nation, they should know better.

Having said that, as an average citizen, I don’t care if you are offended by our lack of knowledge about the region. If you people had your stuff together and not allow your cultish religions and sect warfare create havoc on the rest of us, we might give a damn. Until then, I for one could care less what you think of how we view your country and/or the region for that matter. Yes, that would be an intentional statement of my American arrogance.

[anti-tazi]

Since when the IRI cares about Persian heritage?? For all intent and purposes, the IRI acts very much in the interest of political Islam and NOT Iran.


The hypocrisy is that the mullahs in charge of the country have done more to damage Persian culture and historic past than the rest of the world could ever do.

Destruction of Iranian heritage has been a continuous occupation of the Islamic regime since its beginning. Ayatollah Sadegh Khalkhali at the beginnings of the 1979 revolution traveled with bulldozers to flatten Persepolis where ruins of the 2500 year old administrative capital of the Achamenian dynasty sits. Locals stopped his bulldozers by laying down on their path, until the governor of the province was able to convince Khalkhali to leave without damaging the treasures. Now Ahmadinejad is planning to go ahead with the systematic destruction of one of civilized world's first administrative sites by by flooding a dam under the pretense of creating electricity for industry. This is where the first postal system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail) was conceived and where the first human rights charter was written.(http://www.savepasargad.com/aa.from%20091806/destruction/cyrus-jahanian.htm)
Following the footsteps of Taliban, The un-Iranian government of Islamic Republic is set to destroy a major part of humankind's cultural heritage:See below:

http://www.savepasargad.com/european_languages.htm

[MagisterLudi]

Thank you. it's about time someone posted views of progressive Iranians.