On March 20, President Barack Obama sent Persian New Year greetings directly to the people of Iran. It was a powerful message. By mentioning the Islamic Republic by name, and not simply "Iran," the president was making clear that he considered the current Iranian government legitimate, a profound change in course from the last administration.
Some were surprised that President Obama was not met with equally warm language. Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamene'i, responded by saying that Americans "chant the slogan of change but no change is seen in practice." It seemed like a snub, but then again, context matters.
There is a very important reason for Iran's reluctance to change its tone overnight. It is due to a political trend I call the "cult of anti-Americanism." This is Iran's anti-American brand, one that has been the face of the country since the 1978-1979 revolution toppled the U.S.-backed king.
For over a hundred and fifty years before the revolution, Iran had been subjected to overt foreign power manipulation, first from Great Britain and Russia, and later from the United Unites, which went so far as to topple Iran's democratically elected prime minister in the now infamous 1953 coup. Having been a powerhouse of global politics off and on throughout its 2,500-year history, Iran came to see its dependence on foreign powers as utterly disgraceful.
To maintain their country's hard-won political independence after the revolution, and more important, to keep the power of the government intact, Iranian leaders fashioned several "tests" to differentiate supporters from detractors. In a climate in which the next foreign-planned coup was always around the corner, showing one's "anti-American" colors became a calling card to express loyalty to the regime. In the end, the cult of anti-Americanism had little to do with America, and everything to do with the domestic politics of Iran.
Of course, this is nothing new. During President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the China in 1972, Mao Zedung apparently couldn't believe that U.S. policymakers had taken his "anti-imperialist" propaganda to heart. Henry Kissinger writes: "[Mao] laughed uproariously at the implication that anyone might be taking seriously a slogan which had been scrawled for decades on placards and on the walls of public buildings all over China." In Iran, the cult of anti-Americanism has inspired government-sanctioned murals that depict the United States as a wretched country, and the phrase "death to America" ("marg bar emrika") is still something of a national political slogan.
Eventually, the cult of anti-Americanism will fade and a new generation of leaders will take the reins of power. In the meantime, the name-calling will continue, even as the United States and Iran work together constructively on the future of Iraq and Afghanistan. For the Islamic Republic, the only country in the Middle East that is truly independent today, being the "angry Islamist" on the bloc is a small price to pay. For America, taking a few verbal jabs for the sake of stability in the Middle East should be fine too.
Nathan Gonzalez is author of Engaging Iran: The Rise of a Middle East Powerhouse and America's Strategic Choice (2007) and the upcoming book The Sunni-Shia Conflict and the Iraq War: Understanding Sectarian Violence in the Middle East (2009)
essentially translated into Farsi, this means forego your strategic depth in a region where Iran is an island in a sea of ill-wishers, and forego any credible deterrence. If anything, it is astounding that Iran left the door open with "you change your behavior and we will change ours".
The distant historical references are not as relevant as more recent failed approaches. I.e. Iran delivers Afghanistan on a plate of the Northern Alliance, proposes negotiating with no-holds barred, and gets labeled "axis of evil".
As far as Hamas and Hezbullah go, refer to the following 2 articles
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_11978897
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/08/opinion/edcohen.php?WT.mc_id=glob_mrktg_lnk1&WT.mc_ev=click
http://www.bibijon.org/iranimage/
1. In 1953 Iran interfered in our political affairs and set up a coup and changed our democratic elected government of Dr. Mosadegh. Iran repeated similar action in many other countries. Just recently has allocated a large fund to create instability in our country.
2. When Iraq attacked us, Iran fully supported this war and provided Iraq with military, political and WMDs. Our 1000+ WMD victims are still in their hospital beds for the world to see.
3. In July 1998, Iranian Navy shot down our commercial plane with almost 300 passengers and crewmembers while flying legally over OUR Persian Gulf using two cruise missiles. Only 100 bodies were recovered from water. The captain who executed this mission received presidential medal of honor.
4. Iran has been involved in many covert missions in our country targeting some ethnic groups for uprising. They also have been involved in some sabotages and mercenary activities, explosions in mosques and military bases.
5. Iran has attacked and occupied our two neighboring countries and spread their large navy including carriers and nuclear submarines on our shores. Recently one of their nuclear submarines collided with one their war ship near our shore.
See part-2
6. Iran has been threatening us by initiating and supporting numerous economical sanctions and constantly repeating the phrase “all options are on the table”.
7. Iran with 6000+ nuclear warheads had made threats aiming many countries that have no nuclear arsenals.
8. Iran has installed and supported many dictatorial regimes around the world.
9. In 1988 when four Iranian diplomats were kidnapped and still held in captivity by Israelis, they immediately attacked Israel with cruise missiles, bunker buster and phosphor bombs.
10. In 1998, when Taliban beheaded 11 Iranian diplomats sent to Afghanistan by Iranian government to initiate diplomacy, Iran immediately attacked Afghanistan with sophisticated bunker buster and phosphor bombs.
11. Iran has frozen more than 20 billion dollars of our asset since our 1979 revolution.
But we are very RATIONAL nation. We do not take similar uncivilized actions that are mainly done by irrational RAGUE nations.
Boys-will- be-boys rationalization model has long been used to excuse any atrocity or questionable behavior by Middle Eastern regimes.
Mr. Gonzalez straining very hard to excuse this behavior and failing.
I am trying to decide whether this notion is borne out of patronizing American attitude towards Iran, or just a misplaced sympathy towards an anti-American regime.
Speaking of inconvenient truth, same blogger qualifies any comments from U,.S. encouraging change in Iran as " alarmist descriptions of the Iranian regime."
How about, it's due to a political trend called "We'll like to see actions backing up these nice, expensive words - until then, we reserve our judgement".
I am sure that the back channels are buzzing and soon intelligent burocrats will be meeting face to face.
That makes a lot of sense.
You should happy now, Shiites are in power now.
truman did not threaten bomb russia for the love of iranians,but for the love of the balck gold dear.
i can recall when russia made the same threat on america and england if it touched egypt,or the suez canal with president nasser...remember when krucheve raised his shoe at the un.??
Just because we hang up a sign saying ' under new management ' doesn't mean the food is any better !
Did we expect the Ayatollah to welcome the new manager with open arms ? Wouldn't his experience tell his to be wary of American Leaders who speak with forked tongues.
Perhaps when they see American troops withdrawing from Iraq they will accept that change has begun.
Do we have anything to repent of ? Stealing someone elses natural resorces in order to help them gain stability (???) Robbery with violence !
My old pastor used to say ' in the heart of Gods will is the heart of his provision'.. perhaps we wouldn't be in the financial mess we are in if we hadn't gone scrumping in someone elses orchard.
The Ayatollah deserves respect and Obama gave it to him. But I am not sure we can hope to be treated with respect in return or if we deserve it after letting the Madness of KING GEORGE go unchecked for 2 terms.
Respect once lost is hard to get back.
None of this changes the simple fact that Iran finances most of the terrorism in the MIddle East. It does not change the fact that Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapon and for puely offensive use, not defensive as most nations have done.
The bottom line is the US should monitor Iran, but not engage them first. The US should monitor Iran, but not interfere in their internal politics. Limit their influence when possible and do everything legal to limit their nuclear ambitions.
yeah right, it's more like they hate our meddling in their sovereign affairs, and lets not forget our hypocritical rightiousness
You're kidding me, right?
(BTW, there is some really good music being made by young musicians all across the Islamic world. We need more of that coming within our own borders.)
Days of selling BS "cultural exchange programs" across the border are gone, and you know it.
What else to sell ??
NOTHING