Why Iran isn’t as scary as you think it is
We’ve all heard of Iran — that country somewhere near Iraq that has a crazy president and wants to blow us all to smithereens. Well, you’ve sort of heard of Iran. After sitting through a lecture on Iran — Roger Cohen’s “A Revolution in Crisis: Iran after June 12″ — I realized that most people are probably a little more scared than they should be about the entire issue. That’s not to say you shouldn’t care, but you definitely should not be losing sleep over it.
A Question of Leadership
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad probably isn’t medically insane, but he definitely has a “colorful” view of the world. He was largely criticized by the Arab world — and Muslim scholars in particular — for claims that the hidden Mahdi of Shi’a Islam was controlling policy in Iran. Al-Arabiya quoted the president as saying, “The Imam Mahdi is in charge of the world and we see his hand directing all the affairs of the country.” More recently, he’s been accused of rigging the June 12 elections, for which there is no definitive proof. But it doesn’t really matter whether he’s crazy or not, or whether he rigged the election or not, because he’s not really in charge.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is the man really running the show. While he supported Ahmadinejad’s bid for re-relection, many view the chief executive simply as a puppet for religious clerical politics in the country. The good news here is that Khamenei is much more moderate than his political counterpart. He has encouraged scientific discovery and has enumerated his intense belief on the values of human rights.
The Ayatollah gained much of his power when he was elected President of Iran in 1981. He created systems for overseeing all aspects of government, and in this way became the most influential man in Iranian politics. After the September 11 attacks, he denounced all terrorist activities. He said to the BBC that “mass killings of human beings are catastrophic acts which are condemned wherever they may happen and whoever the perpetrators and the victims may be.” While he has publicly questioned the validity of the United States as a world leader righteous enough to have a strong hand in world affairs, the Ayatollah doesn’t pose a serious threat to the United States as his personal politics would make it appear. What is important to remember is that the Ayatollah’s willingness to attack the United States depends on us, not them.
Nuclear power, not bombs
The United States used to support the Iranian nuclear program, with the first reactor becoming active in 1967. Iran agreed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which puts them under the jurisdiction of the IAEA — the International Atomic Energy Agency. You know them as those guys who have been talking about Iran and uranium all month.
Uranium, the element most responsible for both civilian and military radioactivity, is the type of element that was found during the February IAEA inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities. “Low-enriched” uranium — up to 20% enrichment — is really only usable for civilian purposes, which is the type Iran claims to want. It stands to reason that the uranium could be enriched further, to the 85 percent enrichment necessary for weapons-grade uranium, but that seems pretty far off.
To be fair, recently Iran has claimed to play by the rules. Their current operating stations at Bushehr and the newly-revealed site at Qom have seemingly been in compliance with the IAEA. Iran has, however, ignored five resolutions from the UN Security Council demanding the cessation of all sensitive nuclear activities. One of the problems with the entire issue is that the international community just can’t seem to agree on exactly when Iran re-started it’s nuclear program and just exactly how illegal it is.
Basically, it’s the United Kingdom against the UN Chief Weapons Inspector and head of the IAEA. According to Britain, Iran started their program at least four years ago, but Mohamad ElBaradei (the outgoing Director of the IAEA) says that there is “no credible evidence” to support that claim. At this point, it’s just clear that Iran has nuclear reactors — the question is how honest they are in claiming that they want them solely for peaceful, power-generation purposes.
Why the US matters more than Iran
The question now is not why Iran wants nuclear weapons, but why they wouldn’t want nuclear weapons. The United States, Russia and Israel (shhhh) possess nuclear weapons. It’s the old Cold War “you point your weapons at me, so I’ll point my weapons at you” situation, except in this case we’re not sure that Iran has them, or has the capability to make them.
That’s why it’s up to us. The United States and other leading nations must create concrete incentives for Iran to stay away from nuclear energy, and negative reinforcement probably isn’t the best response. Instead of looking at Iran as a bad kid who deserves a slap on the wrist or a time-out, we must begin to talk to Iran as an equal. By recognizing Iran as a country with legitimate points of view (even though these run extremely contrary to ours at times), we make it impossible for Americans to become the faceless “Other” that can be attacked at will. We take the political fuel from any anti-West activists, and create political pressure reciprocal respect.
The second most important thing the US can do to ensure we’re not hit with a dirty bomb from Iran is to get rid of our own nuclear capabilities. President Barack Obama and President Dimitri Medvedev of Russia have agreed to cut their nuclear stockpiles by 33 percent, which is a step in the right direction, but not enough. Why would Iran not want nuclear weapons? Well, it wouldn’t want them if we didn’t have them. Think of them like your little brother–whatever you have, he wants. The steps recently taken to pacify Iran show improvement in this area, and leave a lot of room for comfort.
Progress
Iran has already agreed to talk to the U.S., U.K. and France, which is a huge milestone in the entire issue. Previously, Iran refused to discuss nuclear matters in any bilateral discussions. It’s the first time in 30 years we’ve had actual discussions with Iran about any of these issues, so we’re making progress.
Maybe, then we can begin to tone down the hysteria about Big Bad Iran. Iran’s just not as scary as we see them most of the time. Yes, they now have the ability to play with uranium, which isn’t the most comforting thought in the world, but it’s probably not as bad as Russia pointing hundreds of missiles at us during the Cold War. Now it’s time for us to step up and protect ourselves not through war, but through good diplomacy.
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Wondering how does one woo Ahmadinejad? Or you can return home.
Just to clarify that Imam Mahdi is for whole humanity not only Muslim for more details please visit this website.http://www.theallfaith.com
Azhar
October 12, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Why should we trust ANYTHING that the Iranian administration says, they have lied about secret facilities for processing uranium, they have delayed talks about their program, and are the rulers via a deeply flawed election. The Iranian government is a major supporter of state-sponsored terrorist groups, and notably harsh on dissenters at home.
President Ahmadinejad is a Holocaust denier who has regularly announced that Israel should not exist. Why would a country with some of the largest oil reserves in the world want nuclear knowledge? One reason only, to gain atomic weapons. Anyone who believes otherwise is living in a fantasy world of cheerful false logic.
You should be losing sleep over the current Iranian position, if world delays in holding Iran to standards of transparency and honesty in their nuclear program, then we risk the loss of a major city, or part of Israel in a nuclear blast. That is unacceptable!
Marty Morse
October 12, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Dear Marty
I don’t believe in your theory,
Russa has the most Gas reserves in the world witch can produce power with Gas, why do they have Nuclear Power houses?
Also The United States has mass reserves Of oil in Alaska And in the south of their country,
why don’t they use their fossil reserves to produce electrical power?
The power produces whith Nuclear systems can not be compaired with the power produced by a Fossil Based Power House system.
It’s ridiculous to say if a country has a massive oil reserves shouldn’t have a power house based on Nuclear power.
I think the thing that makes world lose sleep, is the countries with small size with a massive number of nuclear bombs ready to destroy the world.
remember the great crimes happened in the history,just Came from the Countries that today blaming Iran for trying to use nuclear power as a weapon.
just think Twice.
Regards
Hani
hani
October 13, 2009 at 1:24 am
Thank you for the article. It is not like a common psycho American opinion full of paranoia, brain washed by the mainstream media. I’m thankful for America giving a shelter from the oppressive regime in Iran, however, Iran is run by mullahs as a direct result of unfair, imperialist American policies towards it. The list of crimes committed against Iran is long starting with Ajax Operation. What bothers me is how brain washed American public is. How ignorant and mentally lazy. I guarantee you at least 80% of the americans singing “bomb bomb Iran” do not know the history of US/Iran relations and if they do any, it will be a corporate news/fox version. I have no love for the Iranian government but I do have serious problem with American government unfair policies and the manor in which it behaves, like a mafia gangster deciding who can have nuclear bombs and who can not even be allowed to have the knowledge.. who must open its facilities to inspection who should not, if they don’t want to. Although I’m atheist, I’m getting sick to see all the open hatred towards muslims in the media and yet no one is allowed to even criticize Israel fresh off spilling 1500 innocent Palestinians’ blood. America has been hijacked by religious and rightwing nutjobs, selfish corporate media, wall street and zionist parasites. Until American government starts to talk and walk in a just and fair manor, and stops calling dictators and murderous regimes as its allies, and treat other nations as equals, and until it cleans up its political, financial as well as other centers of powers from Israelis pretending to be Americans, it will not see peace. Its selfish, flawed logic does not hold water and will continue to be resented and have enemies. Look in the mirror America! Imagine if Iran had done all the sins you have done towards it. Imagine if Iran had toppled your democratically elected president and replaced it with a brutal dictator much worse than Ahmadinejad. Imagin if Iran had thousands of nuclear bombs and turned Canada and Mexico into rubbles and was constantly shouting USA was next? Wouldn’t you hate them more than you hate Iran now? Wouldn’t you want to arm yourself by any means necessary, including nuclear bombs to defend yourself? Iran has the right to defend herself, believe it or not, in fact more than any other country, because I never heard so much threats coming from US and Israel towards any other nation. In respecting Iran’s right and toning down animosities, you will remove the external threat to Iranian people, something mullahs need to rally the masses behind them. For example, when Obama in his speech reached his open hand to Iran, people didn’t feel threatened by USA anymore and took to the streets against the regime. That should be a lesson to the administration, and they must learn their threats has only made mullahs regime stronger. If US or Israel attack Iran, it will be the end of Iran, USA and Israel as we know them. America should not forget that along with 42 other countries, including NATO, has not been able to defeat Taliban, in fact with all the financial and military help from its allies, it is losing to these ragtag militia. Iran has mastered the art of asymmetrical warfare which a good example of it was displayed by Hezbollah last time Israel attacked Lebanon. Opening another front with Iran, is a lot more costly than you can imagine. You thin too many American lives have been lost now? or economy is bad now? just stay tuned.
I suggest you think very hard this time before you make another stupid mistake like attacking Afghanistan or Iraq. And may I remind our american friends two third of Iran’s 72 million population is under 30 years old who mostly like american culture, music, movies. However, the same day Iran is attacked, these youngsters will shave their heads, change their metallica t-shirts and pickup a gun to rightfully defend their homeland and you just made millions of determined enemies for life which could be your friends. The choice is yours! Now that I got that off my chest, I hope no one loses their lives, or sons or daughters. let me to just introduce to many young Iranians who are like your kids a lot more than you think. Please enjoy a couple of Iranian bands in the name of peace (recorded in the home basement, damn Iranian government!): youtube.com/watch?v=mNCfHTlTEiQ -and- youtube.com/watch?v=U-c_Mr4l_5M
Iranian American
October 13, 2009 at 4:04 am
Ahmadinejad means nothing. It’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who thinks he’s the only one who knows God we have to worry about. This man is continues to lie to the world and preach to his people that the west is the enemy. His zionist code of destruction is something else.
Jean
October 13, 2009 at 8:55 am
There’s absolutely no evidence at all that Iran is seeking “The Bomb” and there’s good evidence to the contrary — namely, Iran’s repeated compromise offers to place additional restrictions on their nuclear program far beyond their existing legal obligations, as well as their offer to open the program to joint participation with the US and other countries so as to make it impossible for Iran to secretly make nukes. These offers were simply ignored by the US. See more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/opinion/05iht-edzarif.html
hass
October 13, 2009 at 11:05 am
Iran could only placate the “west” and Israel by agreeing to forever be a powerless ,technologically backward country. Iran should diplomatically give the “west” the middle-finger salute and move forward as it has been.
billrowe
October 13, 2009 at 3:04 pm