Once again the neo-cons have given Reza Pahlavi a platform, but it is not clear who the intended audience is. The feigned altruistic appeal in his speech bears an eerie resemblance to the rehearsed Iraqi appeals before that country was invaded. Those appeals cost over one million Iraqi lives. This is a well-written speech, disguised as it may be, to convince. Whether the speech was delivered to persuade the American public of the necessity of intervention and war or the purpose of it was the alienation of Iran’s Arab neighbors, much like his father had in favor of Israel, one can be certain that Norman Podhoretz has given it his blessings, if indeed he has not been the writer himself.
It must be recalled that the events of 9/11 and the tragedy that struck America transformed George W. Bush. On November 19, 1999, Bush the candidate delivered a speech at the Ronald Reagan library at Simi California saying: ….. “And let us have an American foreign policy that reflects American character; the Modesty of true strength, the humility of real greatness.” However, 9/11 prompted him to turn over the foreign policy of the country to the neo-cons who had been waiting in the wings for decades, and who had planned the assault on the Middle East for over a decade. They were ready with a response and in effect, they hijacked the American foreign policy.
On September 20, 2001, Mr. Bush’s assertions were that the United States would pursue global terrorist groups and any nation that harbors or supports terrorism. His National Security Agenda (2002 NSS) was quintessentially neoconservative calling for preemption. Underlying the Bush foreign policy is the assumption that the use of military force to overthrow non cooperative governments in troubled areas is the remedy for terrorism; a page from neo-con D. Perle’s book “An End to Evil”.
Pahlavi invites an attack on Iran by stating that “Iran’s clerical regime’s continued support for terrorism”.
For neo-cons it is easy to push their agenda and convince the general public that the policies being implemented are based on American values as so many of them have careers in the media or academia (they developed a close tie with Georgetown Center for Strategic Studies among others). One such promoter of American ‘values’ is Benador Associates. Benador Associates arranges their TV appearances and speaking engagements, and helps to place their articles in newspapers. Ms. Benador, the founder of Benador Associates, along with Senator Liberman is busy promoting Reza Pahlavi (Lieberman endorsed McCain who likes to sing Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran). It is worthwhile mentioning another very prominent Benador client and Reza Pahlavi’s colleague and promoter.
Michael Ledeen, the contributing editor of National Review Online has endorsed the “Total war strategy” – His idea is advanced through Benador Associates. “Total War Strategy” was first put forward by Adam G. Mersereau. Ledeen writes: “The method used to destroy Iran, as known in the neo-con circle, will be ‘Total War’. A total war strategy does not have to include the intentional targeting of civilians, but the sparing of civilian lives cannot be its first priority … The purpose of total war is to permanently force your will onto another people group.” See
Pahlavi calls the regime in Iran terrorists, aware that such definitions will draw the US military into a bloody battle for the preemption doctrine. He is not mindful of the fact that bringing death and destruction to innocent civilians is the ultimate in terror.
More importantly, language is the best tool for political and social dominance. Those who ‘own’ the language can use value-laden terminology to their great advantage and ‘define’ the other. Terrorism is the definition given by the neo-cons to those they wish to master. It is only relevant if one heeds it. The intellect is often sharper than the biting words. However, it would seem that Reza Pahlavi has felt the need to adapt to his inferior position and adapted to the prevailing definition of social order by trading status for security.
Reza Pahlavi must also know that Iran’s history is filled with a pattern of external powers collaborating and destroying the country’s advancement in its nascent stages at every turn, whether technological empowerment as in the case of the railway, or socio-political, such as democracy and the nationalization of oil, or the current self sufficiency in seeking nuclear technology.
He should recall that after the concessions granted by the Persian government to the (Russian) Discount and Loan Bank of Persia for the construction of the railway line Julfa-Tabriz (1913), the ‘allied’ forces in line with Winston Churchill’s advice, forced the man who had built it, his grandfather, Reza Shah Pahlavi, to abdicate and leave the country. Iran’s democracy and its oil nationalization movement of 1951 to 1953 under Mossadegh were brought to an end by the British with the help of the CIA-backed coup. His father owed his throne to the CIA, it is worthwhile mentioning. Today, it seems that Reza Pahlavi is asking the same favor from similar groups.
And his lack of understanding of nuclear power…
Pahlavi should know that at the Iraq war created a pro-natalist atmosphere. Families were even given incentives to have more children. In addition, the war caused immense damage to the infrastructure prompting the new government to rethink its position about starting up the nuclear power plants. Furthermore, according to Saad Rahim, an analyst at Washington consultancy PFC Energy claims that Iran needs to diversify its energy needs in addition to a change in its policies, otherwise, “Iran’s net crude exports could fall to zero.” But since Pahlavi’s concerns are to please the neocon bosses, and to convince the American people that Iran is a threat, the truth is being concealed.
On every continent nuclear and radiation techniques are put in the service of humankind. Recently, it was witnessed that due to a problem with a Canadian nuclear reactor that produces medical isotopes used to diagnose and treat cancer and cardiovascular disease, patients in Canada, U.S. and other countries had their tests and treatment postponed. Since Pahlavi is in the U.S., he is no doubt indifferent to the plight of the Iranians and their welfare.
Iranian nationalists have asked the world at large, America in particular to leave them alone. Pahlavi has no love for Iranians, much less an . Even the Cuban-Americans who have held the foreign policy of this country towards Cuba hostage for decades, do not have the audacity to select a leader and have someone represent Cuba from exile. A self-appointed traitor who has surrendered his reins to the neo-cons does not speak for Iranians.
