People ask the darnest things, like "when will our troops come home from Iraq?" But rarely do people ask the simple, but critical questions before a conflict starts. As we see the White House ratcheting up the war of words with Iran, one such silly question might go like this: Which country shares more of our interests: Iran, our supposed enemy, or Saudi Arabia, our official friend in the Gulf?
Our regional "allies" are egging us on for a conflict with Iran, in the form of threats by Saudi Arabia and Egypt that their nuclear proliferation is next if we don't stop Iran, along with a paranoid warning by Jordan's King Abdullah II that a "Shi'i crescent" is rising in the Middle East (read: Shi'is are gaining rights).
But what if Americans from all walks of life were to ask some simple questions? Would we get a better picture of who our friends and enemies really are in the Middle East? Let's have a mock Q&A session and find out.
Which is it, Iran (our enemy) or Saudi Arabia (our friend)?
An environmentalist might ask:
Which of the two countries (Iran or Saudi Arabia) is part owner of the second largest reserve of clean-burning natural gas in the world? Iran
A counter-terrorism official might ask:
From which country do al-Qaeda-friendly jihadists sneak in to Iraq to kill Americans and indiscriminately bomb crowded Iraqi markets? Saudi Arabia
A member of AIPAC might ask:
Which country has gone to war with our ally Israel numerous times? Saudi Arabia
An Islamic reformist might ask:
Which country embraces an Islamic concept called "ijtihad," or religious reasoning, which allows for modern interpretations of Islamic law, even legislation? Iran
An Iraqi-American might ask:
Which country wants to see the Iraqi government succeed, to the point where it sends money and arms to the militias that prop it up? Iran
A conservative Christian might ask:
Which country accepts Christianity as a state-sanctioned religion and guarantees its Christian community seats in parliament? Iran
Someone who hates theocracy might ask:
In which country are the people tired of "Islamic" governance, since, rather than seeing it as an opposition movement, they associate it with a corrupt, self-interested elite? Iran
An Afghan-American might ask:
Which country had a policy of regime change against the Taliban? Iran
Which country was one of only three to recognize the Taliban while Osama bin Laden was given refuge by them? Saudi Arabia
A democrat (yes, lower-case "d" democrat) might ask:
In which country do we see contested elections between diverse factions, and which, to a degree, represent popular will? Iran
An ordinary American might ask:
Which country has a more pro-American population? Iran, several times over
A really concerned American might ask:
Which country has one of the more anti-American populations in the world? Saudi Arabia
These are just a few questions that we might never hear asked. But if we have the answers, why wait for the questions?
Nathan Gonzalez
Author of Engaging Iran