Diminishing glory
If Iranians wish to claim their past glory, they owe it to future generations to defend their country today

December 28, 2006
iranian.com

Veiling our ineptitude in the legacy of Cyrus the Great, cowardice abound, we abandon Iran in her moment of need and justify our action on the basis of the Islamic regime’s despotism. How cynical that under the watchful contribution of Cyrus to the world, the replica on which he inscribed free worship for his subjects, considered to be the world’s first universal declaration of human rights kept at the United Nations, Iran’s enemies had the audacity to degrade her children under the name of universal law; A law upheld by Iran and violated by UN members.

And how sad it is that while claiming to be proud of our history, those who humiliated us were applauded by inspiring leaders. Claiming to be Cyrus’ heirs, those who wish to step into his shoes, commend the decision of the UN; equating the punishment of Iranians to the chastisement or the capitulation of the Islamic regime. How misplaced this Iranian pride and punishment is. The cultural heritage of the Zoroastrians is the belief in their spiritual and cultural superiority. Compromise with the outside world was considered a weakness (Ziemke p.87) (1).

In fact, according to Stack (2), the history of Cyrus the Great is so embedded in most Iranians that we still think of ourselves as a superpower. How can the former Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, and the terrorist cult leader, Maryam Rajavi, be ignorant of the psyche of the very people they hope to lead?

History has shown economic sanctions and political reprimands are ineffective in preventing nuclear technology; North Korea and Iraq are two cases in point. Even an Israeli air strike against the Iraqi Osirak nuclear plant in 1981 did not curb their ambitions. Given the determination of countries to reach their goal, one must therefore weigh the consequences of isolation and sanctions.

A serious concern is that although the Chernobyl power plant tragedy reinforced the need for international cooperation, politics continue to dominate the arena of decision making. To piece-meal a nuclear plant is an accident waiting to happen. Those who encourage sanctions and applaud them, are blinded by ambition and do not have the interest of Iranians at heart.

What must be of particular concern to any Iranian with a sense of patriotism is the reality of Iran’s exhaustible fossil fuels. Due to an increase in demand and decrease in supply, Iran will find itself wanting for its energy needs in the next decade. Had the leaders who praised the sanctions spent less time pursuing their ambitions and more time studying Iran’s national interest, they would realize that Iran is in a dire situation and that it must search for alternative fuel supplies regardless of the government. The NPT ensures Iran’s inalienable right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology. It is the guarantee of the Iranians for the future.

And finally, the imposition of sanctions meant that the US administration was successful in intimidating the ‘world body’ into taking away the right of the Iranian people and violating international law- again. The sanctions were not a judgment on the Islamic regime – the resolution meant denying Iran her sovereignty --with the full knowledge that sanctions would be ineffective, with the next chapter in this game being military action.

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.”

Many of the total war and creative destruction crowd get their ideas across to the public through an agency called Benador Associates, which 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. The Infamous Max Boot, a Benador associate has endorsed using the MEK to cause havoc and mayhem in Iran. Boot is not alone in promoting his idea. The Iran Policy Group (IPC) is advocating the use of terror group fighters from the Mujaheden-e Khalq (MEK/MKO) “as intelligence agents and urged the consideration of military options to spark an uprising in Iran.”

Ahmadinejad is not blameless, this is certain. But one must realize that the West has always wanted to have Iran back as a client state. For the past 27 years, the role of presidency in Iran has always been ineffective. It was the West that chose to give Ahmadinejad a rope to hang himself with, and with it, the Iranian people. We must cut the rope that is about to hang the people.

If Iranians wish to claim their past glory, they owe it to future generations to defend their country today. Let them be as proud of their history as we have been. Sanctions and war will only hurt the nameless and the blameless; those who are too poor to escape the savagery of ambition and greed. Let us not betray the future, nor bury the underprivileged; but recognize the enemy and work together to save our country. Comment

Notes
* Reza Pahlavi’s comments on sanctions
* Maryam Rajavi’s comments on sanctions.

1) Ziemke, Caroline, Cambridge. The MIT Press: 2000
2) Stack, Megan. K. “Iranians see right to nuclear program as matter of national pride”. Los Angeles Times. 12 Dec. 2004

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich has lived and studied in Iran, the UK, France, and the US. She obtained her Bachelors Degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. She is currently pursuing her education in Middle East studies. Soraya has done extensive research on US foreign policy towards Iran and Iran’s nuclear program.