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Down with Russia? Down with China?!
14-Sep-2009
Aside from the domestic implications of the post-electoral mass protestations in Iran, there are profound international ramifications. On July 17, after a month and a half of seclusion, for the first time former President Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of Iran's wealthiest men, publicly known as "the Shark" regarding his financial transactions that led to his families' massive accumulation of riches during his tenure as President of Iran, led Friday prayers at Tehran University. In his sermon, Rafsanjani stressed on the impending crisis, which in his opinion has engulfed the country, implying that it was caused by the way the government of Ahmadinejad has handled the social outbursts. As a reaction to this criticism, the pro-Ahmadinejad and Khamenei forces in attendance began chanting "Down with the U.S.A.!"
Suddenly, as a clear expression of their position, the pro-Rafsanjani-Mousavi crowd responded by yelling out "Down with Russia!" and "Down with China!" In the entire ten-day unrest, nothing more than this brief episode made the domestic and international class positions of the two camps clearer.
This fact has been so far undeniable that one of the two main characteristics of the '79 Revolution was its anti-western imperialism content. In this particular religious gathering at least a substantial section of the pro-bourgeois nationalists let the cat out of the bag and pointed at China and Russia as two enemies of Iran, at least in their eyes.
Were the ideological leaders of the reformist crowd aware that China and Russia have supported Iran, more or less, on the nuclear power plant issue, on the enrichment of uranium and have softened the impacts of the U.S./U.K.-promoted UN Security Council sanctions against Iran? The answer is a definite yes. Did the reformists along with the pragmatic conservatives know that Iran has expressed its strong desire to join, as a full member, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)? No doubt they knew that unlike the U.S. and Western Europe, China and Russia immediately recognized the legitimacy of Iran's presidential election and congratulated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his victory. With a high degree of probability they knew this very well. Did the neo-liberal opposition know that their crucial link in the White House, Zbigniew Brzezinski, has been advising President Obama about the essentiality of breaking up the Beijing-Moscow-Tehran relations?
As we all know, China, Russia and Iran, along with many countries in Africa and Latin America strongly advocate that the current uni-polar world order has to be replaced by a multi-polar arrangement, which would enhance the role of other nations, especially a multitude of smaller countries in the running of world affairs. Furthermore, these three countries have seriously enacted the policy of replacing the U.S. dollar, as a sole world reserve currency with a new basket of currencies that would reduce the arbitrary pressure of the U.S. dollar on other currencies.
It is relevant to know that in the recent G8 Summit held July 8-10, 2009 in Aquila, Italy, both China and Russia introduced suggestions for diversifying the global currency system in the future to replace the U.S. dollar as the single world reserve currency, much to the dismay of the Obama Administration.
The slogans "Death to Russia" and "Death to China" clearly demonstrated the neo-liberal economic platform of the reformists who strongly seek to transfer a major part of the control of the Iranian economy from public to private, on one hand, and remove the encumbrances in the way of U.S. Big Oil from reaching the Iranian oil reserves in the Caspian Sea. In this connection, the Russia-Iran-Venezuela cooperation has been a nightmare for Washington – from G.W. Bush to Barack Obama. Together, Russia, Iran and Venezuela have 25% of the world's proven oil reserves. The same goes for gas reserves and production.
No wonder that in the pre-election presidential debates, Mousavi, spokesperson for Iran's integration into the western world market, ridiculed President Ahmadinejad for his policies of economic and political cooperation with Latin American and Asian countries, but especially for his views on the downfall of the old world economic and international order. There is no doubt that a section of the Iranian bourgeoisie, symbolized by Mousavi, Rafsanjani, clerical groupings, the top echelon in the banking and insurance companies, and the high-placed bureaucrats and technocrats, have been opposed to Iran's political and economic policies of strengthening ties with China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
Thus the anti-China-Russia cry heard in the Friday prayers when Rafsanjani spoke was an expression of the needs of the Iranian comprador bourgeoisie in joining the major western oil, financial and industrial corporations.
AUTHOR
Ardeshir Ommani is an Iranian-born writer and an activist in the U.S. anti-war and anti-imperialist struggle for over 40 years, including against the Vietnam War, and now the Iraq war. During the past seven years, he has participated in the U.S. peace movement, working to promote dialogue and peace among nations and to prevent a U.S.-spurred war on Iran. He holds two Masters Degrees: one in Political Economy and another in Mathematics Education. Co-founder of the American Iranian Friendship Committee, (AIFC), he writes articles of analysis on Iran -U.S. relations, the U.S. economy and has translated articles and books from English into Farsi, the Persian language. Please visit AIFC’s website to learn more about Iran and Global issues at www.iranaifc.com . Two of his recent articles, "Ten Tumultuous Days" can be viewed at: www.mathaba.net, and "Change to a Multi-Polar World" in www.TehranTimes.com.
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This man need some Viagra
by Support real Iranian Patriotic on Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:53 PM PDTin the seventies when this guy & his comrade tells us these rubbish we believed them and we saw the result,just shame on them.
NOT THIS TIME READ MY LIPS.
Omid parsi
by Dariush on Wed Sep 16, 2009 09:39 AM PDTKoochoolo, calm down!! wasn't shaban beemokh your hero? Your observations are twisted. You are looking at the world up side down. Get up and stand on your feet! Koochooloo, you are a lot of fun.
Pea-Brained Dariush
by Omid Parsi on Wed Sep 16, 2009 08:28 AM PDTPea-Brain Dariush; I don't know which godforsaken place you hail from but even in this forum you are out of your league ... Here is an advice: For every word you write, read one! Be modest with your ghoulish ignorance and don't peddle your Shaaban Beemokh intellect and Bedouin Friday Prayer Sermon here ...
Fouad
by Anonymous Observer on Wed Sep 16, 2009 09:37 AM PDTI tell you the reason why there is no civility toward Mr. Ommani. He has proven himself to be an unabashed supporter of the Islamic Republic and Ahmadinejad in particular. During the protests that rocked Iran two months ago, when Iranians were being guuned down, beaten and raped, he was petitioning the United Nations for support for Ahmadinejad and his street thugs. He is supporting a brutal dictatorship in Iran. Do I need to say more?
The time to "reason", "discuss" and "negotiate" things with the IRI is over. Actually, for some of us that time was up a long time ago, but for those who thought that "reform" can be brought to Iran by votes, activism, etc., the events of the past couple of months have shown us that no such concept exists. Now is the time to stand up to the IRI, its agents and supporters in full force. You don't take a knife to a gun fight. These people shoot you on the streets if you oppose them, and we are supposed to "discuss" things with them?!!!!
That's why Mr. Ommani gets no respect, and let's make no mistakes about it: he has earned that privilege!!!
Farhad, I meant stop joking,
by Dariush on Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:46 AM PDTFarhad, I meant stop joking, not jocking. no disrespect, it is too late and i am falling sleep. Gooz Night.
Omid parsi
by Dariush on Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:24 AM PDTKoochooloo, don't get too excited! The anti Imperialism heroes you mentioned were built and supported by Imperialism. They were U.S. allies. They turned against U.S. only when they realized they are being used and abused. The countries you mentioned are also being used and abused by imperialism. U.S. has bases in most of them, if not all of them. Their fear and obedience of U.S. orders are not a sign of democrocy, they are signs of slavery. Right now U.S. is sucking up billions of barrels of oil out of Iraq for free when Iraqis are starving to death.
Don't take advantage of IRI's misconducts and try to sell snake oil to us. We have been there, we have done that. Koochooloo.
Farhad kashani / fouadk
by Dariush on Tue Sep 15, 2009 11:58 PM PDTFarhad you wrote, "Americans value humanity and love of life".
Stop jocking man! can't you be serious for once? How many millions more should they kill, till you begin to see? That is, if you are not legally blind.
Fouadk,
The answer to your questions are simple and I have wrote them many times. For some, it is about the pie. It is about the self interest rather than common interest.
21st century "Western Imperialism" is a myth
by Omid Parsi on Tue Sep 15, 2009 08:26 PM PDTSince the end of colonialism, "Western Imperialism" is little more than a stupid rant used by the new breed of "independent" tyrants and thugs to continue to blame the failings of their own corrupt and autocratic governance on the once colonialist western powers.
More ridiculous is the concept of "American Imperialism", considering that the USA was itself a colony and never a colonial power!
Freedom, democracy, capitalism and the rule of law have advanced the USA to be the world's foremost economic power by means of social and scientific achievement and industrial productivity.
You'll never hear the stale anti-imperialism rant come out of nations that have turned the corner and advanced on their own resources and creativity, such as Turkey, South Korea or Singapore. It is a pathetic losers rant, originally devised a long time ago by delusional Marxists and psychpathic Stalinists and adopted and regurgitated to this day by any "independent" thug whose idea of progress has been to con and ransack his "nations" or worse yet, impose his demented "utopia".
The foremost anti-imperialist heros are Afghanistan's Taleban, Cambodia's Polpot, Uganda's Idi Amin, Iraq's Saddam Hossein (R.I.P.!), Libya's Ghaddaffi (recently reformed!) and, last but not least, the IRI's Khomeini and his evil mini-me Khamenei.
So take your pseudo-intellectualized "Great Satan" rant and post it on "Keyhan"... Any Iranian with half a brain who is not somehow on the payroll of IRGC thugs knows the greatest blunder in our history to be the Arab invasion and its subsequent demolition of Persian pride, identity and history.
Who made our people to pray doggy style in an alien gibberish tongue in direction of the savage invaders' wretched territory?!
Thuggery and "Arbade-Keshee" against "Imperialism" is no cure for the wretchedness and lack of self-esteem that has befallen our nation. Realizing that they are victims of an ongoing historical rape is.
Our true Iran doesn't include
by SamSamIIII on Tue Sep 15, 2009 06:43 PM PDTyou and Your whatever ommatie Iran doesn't include me & friends of Kiaan. & this will be like this until eternity even post Qadesiyeh regime .so deal with it.
Payandeh Iran va raahe Kiaan
Path of Kiaan Resurrection of True Iran Hoisting Drafshe Kaviaan
//iranianidentity.blogspot.com
//www.youtube.com/user/samsamsia
How sad it is...
by fouadk on Tue Sep 15, 2009 05:16 PM PDTOmmani: Your Neo Comm ideology is dying out amongst Iranians
by Farhad Kashani on Tue Sep 15, 2009 03:14 PM PDTHey Ommani,
Prior to the June 12th uprising, you would come here and write every anti Iranian, anti democracy, pro Fascist IRI garbage you can think off. I’m glad that you are making it clear that you are still supporting IRIs Fascism.
Only a few extremist nutjobs in Iran talk the way you do. You Neo Comms are worst than the Islamists. You are ready for Iran to be burned to the ground just you can get satisfaction for shouting some BS anti American slogans. That’s how unIranian, inhumane, out of touch and incredibly wrong you are. You and the Iranian Left’s days are over. Accept it.
If IRIs incredibly powerful propaganda machine couldn’t persuade Iranians to follow its blind Anti Americanism, you think a few Iranian Neo Communists on this site like you can? Death to China and Russia is exactly how the vast majority of Iranians think, including many moderates among the regime itself. Iranians, unlike what you in the Left think, are smart and know very very well what’s going on. If you’re talking about history, then Russia is probably on top of the list of governments who has done Iran harm. Through its army, it directly occupied and took forever vast areas that have always been part of our country. And if we speak about what’s going on now, Russia and Putin are co conspirators in IRIs dirty tactics in the region and the world.
So shout all the Anti American BS you want. America and Iran, people now and hopefully someday governments, are friends because they have common values, values of humanity, cultural openness and love of life. No one ever believed your nonsense and no one ever will.
Neo Communism ideology, that you subscribe you, is a dying breed among Iranians because Iran has been devastated listening and following the footsteps of this ideology and Iranians are very much alert and aware of this reality. Your ideology belongs to the museums. Save your energy.
Payam
by XerXes on Tue Sep 15, 2009 09:29 AM PDTYou are a puppet, doesn't have east or west. But leave the "Iranians" out of it. Speak for your daddy and yourself. IRR will not stay in Iran forever and no one should tell us that getting out of this shit hole and falling in a bigger ditch is better for Iran. At least for now we are politically independent, something that no country can get out of easily. it's the dumbest thing to want to fall back as a slave nation to another. we'll get out of this shit and be a free and independent iran, no other way, no if buts or maybe.
Do we always have to be some body's b1tch?
by Bavafa on Tue Sep 15, 2009 09:24 AM PDTCan we for once try to be our own b1tch and try independence? Where is every one's self respect (if we ever had it) that just suggest, we don't want east therefor lets go West or the other way around.
Mehrdad
Yep, we wanna be western puppets.
by پیام on Tue Sep 15, 2009 01:54 AM PDTIs way better than being east's puppet. That's proved to all of us for the last 30 years.
Is this a joke or a Radio Albania Broadcast from 30 Years ago?
by Amir Khosro Neyrizi on Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:37 PM PDTMr. Ommani,
You must be the last remaining believer in the utopia that was Albania underAnvar Khoje. I still remember the diatribe that Albania's Persian radio used tobroadcast. Your article is very reminiscent of those radio Albaniabroadcasts that we used to listem to over 30 years ago and laugh!!
Here are some facts:
-Russia hasnever been and will never be an ally of Iran. You just need to look at thehistory, from taking chunks of Iranian territory under the Tsars to taking overAzerbayjan after the WWII, to their support of Saddam Hussein during the warwith Iran.Russiasupplied all the fighter planes and hardware that Saddam needed right to theend of the war. Russia wouldnot even step in to mediate between the Iran& Iraq for a speedy endto the war , so that it could sell as much arms as possible to Saddam at adiscount and at inflated prices to Iran.
-Russiahas been "building" the Bushehr reactor for over 10 years, demandingbillions of dollars every year on the pretence of cost over-runs, etc. It'susing the Bushehr project to continually demand money and influence.
-Russia didn'teven invite Iran to therecent meeting of teh Caspian sea countries where important decisions were madeabout the Caspian sea borders and itsresources. Russiahas been extracting oil & minerals for years, polluting the sea to thepoint of pushing the sea life to extinction.
-China is China, it'sonly concerned with itself and getting its hand on cheap resources, speciallyoil & gas. Just look at communist China'scooperation and support of the most brutal African dictatorshipssuch as Sudan.
-China is theally of Pakistan (to balanceagainst India).Pakistan has always seen Iran as a threat to ots interests in Afghanistan (Please see the history of How Talibancame to power with the help from Pakistan).
-You may want to ask your Chinese friends to tell you where theIslamic Revolutionary Guard commanders learn their tactics. Or you can simplypay a visit to Beijing's Military Academyand ask thm to show yo their student year books going back to 1994.
Mr. Ommani, you are either extremely delusional or just like tostir the pot to get a response.
In any case, Irandoes not need friends like China,Russiaor the west. It's all about convergence f interests and shaping alliances.
Iran's history has shownthat reliance on foreign powers can only lead to disasters of biblicalproportions.
A few years ago, Rafsangani
by Dariush on Mon Sep 14, 2009 09:26 PM PDTA few years ago, Rafsangani in one of his speeches recommended the privatization of some of government controlled industries. The second i heard that, i knew he has got his eyes on some of the important and major industries in Iran, since he has already taken over many of the smaller industries and businesses. He portrayed this as a good move to transfer some of the power from government to the public and give public a chance of ownership, but who in the public had the money and power to buy such large industries? except Rafsangani & Sons. So this way, he not only takes over what belong to the public, he also makes himself look good in public eye. In other words, he wasn't giving to the public, but taking from the public. So among many other positions he holds, he was also lobbying for himself.
I agree, one of the problem with Mousavi was his criticism of Ahmadinejad over the relation and unity his government has established with south American countries, China and Russia. I think that was wrong. In a way, i felt the movement was leaning toward west by not using anti west slogans and then came the anti Russia and China slogans and raised even more suspicion. Perhaps for them it was an strategic move, but to me it was a gamble. A trade off between gaining more public support in Iran VS western support. and as i said a million times, you don't make an opposition supported by criminals. They are after their own interest not the people in Iran.
With all that said, i think both khamenei and Ahmadinejad should step down, not because if they rigged the election, but for the way they handles the situation. We need a new nationalist government that guarantees national security and rights, as well as justice and human rights. It is in our national interest to stay united with China, Russia, Syria, Venezuela and many other countries including Palestine and Lebanon.
I thought the 79 chant was: No to west and no to East!
by gol-dust on Mon Sep 14, 2009 08:57 PM PDTThey are all imperialsts. They are using us for their own goal against each other. None is a friend of Iran. I want Iran too be independent! But if it has to go somewhere, which it musn't, I'd much rather be the West than the damn chinese or russins. China is ruthless! They are the cheapest with no religion and DAAHAATI! Russia took our land and now wants a portion of caspian sea! Give our Azarbyjan back and torkamanestan ! Long live Iran!
Talk will begin Oct, 1
by Denver Tinbender on Mon Sep 14, 2009 06:18 PM PDTTalk will begin Oct, 1 among IRAN and US 5 permanent members of UN security council + Germany. Neoconservatives and ISRAELI hardliners playing drum of war.
Dr Mohammad Elbaradei (IAEA) welcomes the offer of US to initiate dialogue with IRAN without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect.
President Obama doing what he campaigned on to open dialogue with IRAN
ISRAELI leader believe that now is the time to place harsh sanction on IRAN, bomb IRAN nuclear facilities and regiem change which President Obama administration seemed prepare to write off regime change for ever.
RUSSIA nor CHINA will have anything to do with more sanctions. The EUROPEANS don't really want more sanction either.
Let's see what offers they bring to table.
Hit the spot, huh?
by MRX1 on Mon Sep 14, 2009 05:58 PM PDTIt must have! The imperialist wanna be fighter who is stuck in
1970 time warp is upset that people have said some thing bad about his
beloved Russia and china! you poor baby, I guess they didn't cover
this section in the fighting imperialism 101 course that you took.
would have been fine if they chanted death to U.S and Israel and may
be even blow up people in Telaviv or Washington but god forbid,
mother Russia, father china!!!! At least they didn'tsay anything bad about chavez and castro otherwise his blood would have boiled!
What I don't understand is what is he doing living in U.S? why
doesn't he move to Russia, china, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and all these
anti imperialistic countries out there. Let me take a guess: welfare
checks are nicer and bigger in imperialist countries!!!!
Sanction-profiteering of
by vildemose on Mon Sep 14, 2009 02:12 PM PDTSanction-profiteering of IRGC and Ahmadinejad should be spotlighted and spelled out for those who are uninformed. Until then, people like this author will be able to spout minsinformation targeting specifically the naive American left.
Western Media
by Massive-Bruno on Mon Sep 14, 2009 02:01 PM PDT"Our" Western media seem to have agreed to report ONLY that the people chanted "death to the Dictator", and NEVER to mention that they chnnted "Death to China", and "Death to Russia." The PEOPLE know that it is money from China and Russia that pays off their rulers and makes sanctions PROFITABLE. The Revolutionary Guards and the Baseej and the financial backers of Khamenei and Ahmadi Nejad are PROFITING from the sanctions, thanks to China and Russia. The American establishment doesn't want to hear that, because they believe sanctions are more effective than God. If the Ameircan people KNEW that the crowds were chanting "Death to China" and "Death to Russia", the cat would be out of the bag!
It's about the MONEY, O Sage.