INDEPENDENCE
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Stealing riches
14-Dec-2007
Why so many Iranians fear of their INDEPENDENCE to be taken away by the US or other foreign countries, INFIDEL, or maybe more of a fidel nature? This fear is a very old one and we can mostly guess about its causes and origins. Of course this is nothing particular to Iranians, and I have seen citizens from Lybia or Iraq to Uganda, Congo or Venezuela and so forth to have similar fears. Why are these people afraid of the West (what is perceived as the most modern and powerful countries in the world) threatening their INDEPENDENCE, or maybe pride, or maybe...
NATURAL RESOURCES??!! Oh yes, I think this is mostly the point, natural resources, oil, gas, all sorts of minerals, or other types of God-given (not created or assembled by human labour) riches. These countries, being aware of their inability to do much about their natural resources on their won, and knowing that the only truly valuable asset they own in front of the rest of the world is nothing but their natural resources, sort of RIGHTLY (or understandably) fear the smart guys (the West, the modernised nations) STEALING their riches.
So, there is some sort of an understandable fear, that the only resources that can make the modern world be interested in our relatively intellectually and socially deprived lands (it is called third world countries in nicer words) may be at risk of being taken away without sufficient compensation. And that makes us, peoples of the third world, be a bit (a bit too much) paranoid.
What is the solution then? What should the third world do in order to protect itself and at the same time modernise and develop in order to reach the standards of the developed world at some point in the future? What should Iran for instance do in order to benefit its citizens while keeping its "independence" (a word that has always been used in Iran with the only connotation of referring to the West as the evil one)? Or maybe the problem is NOT the West, but something else!
First we need to see where we stand. We need to accept the realities, our possibilities, and then see how rationally we can reach our goals. The realities for countries like Iran are pretty somber. Industry is very bad, economy is a dysfunctional one relying mostly on foreign money from crude oil (the horrifying consequence of this reality is too often over-looked), social conditions are catastrophic, corruption has been on the rise, and the list can go on and on.
I remember that some 20 years ago, even during the chaotic times of the post-revolution Iran, it was very difficult to bribe officials for any purpose. Nowadays even the unimaginable of those times happens every day. Like Russia and many other post-Communist countries Iranian officials from ordinary police officers on the streets to almost any other types of officials within the public domain can be bribed. Money rules and almost everything is on sale!
So, the situation is bad and it has got worse on many respects. An "independent" Iran has sold lots of its "independently" extracted (they have actually asked for foreign help here and there) unrefined oil relatively cheaply while performing worse than most countries that have no precious sought-after natural resources to fear being taken away! Although Iran's natural resources are indeed extremely precious and they can take the Iranian people to some riches that probably even the citizens of the UAE would be envious (hypothetically speaking), an independent Iran has miserably failed to take advantage of its natural resources!
The whole meaning of being independent in today's world of free capital flow is more like a rhetoric rather than any substantive argument. Has Turkey been an independent country? Or not? There is no proof to say that Turkey has not been independent, or definitely not less independent than Iran. Turks have always known that the West has little natural resources to pray on in their country, but Turkey relying on its work-force and entrepreneurship, using all its possibilities, from tourist attractions to whatever agriculture the arid lands of Anatolia have to offer, has managed to build a more prosperous country than its resource-rich neighbour to the east, Iran.
Iran seems to have had nothing but the curse of fearing its independence; to protect its natural resources from a perceived Western plunder, and in doing so has done worst than it could have otherwise done WITHOUT having relied on its natural resources. An Iran without its abundant and precious natural resources may have actually become something like Turkey, more democratic and probably even more prosperous. Iran's natural resources have given rise to what can be called a people-independent sort of governorship, in which the government does not truly need the people.
The government can sell the natural resources of the country, buy weapons from other countries, pay soldiers and other forms of militaristic organisations, and use a tiny minority of the population to keep the rest on check, and hold the whole country hostage to the desires of the ruling clique while crying foul that it pursues national independence, being forced to confront more powerful regimes. Confront them for what? Nothing for real!
What all this national independence is actually all about when the country is completely dependent on crude oil exports to keep going? This NATURAL-RESOURCE CURSE has been the worst humanitarian catastrophe of the past 50 years or so, giving rise to governments or organisations (also Al Qaeda is paid by oil money from Arab and some other Muslim sponsors) that have not needed their populace to survive; they neither need taxes from their populace nor much of any form of approval, as they hold the financial means to suppress any large-scale opposition using the money collected from selling the natural resources of their respective lands to foreigners, the same foreigners they claim to be INDEPENDENT of, while in reality, it is actually, and logically, completely the opposite.
This is not only the case for oil-rich countries like Iran or Saudi Arabia, but also for many far-worse-off countries in sub-Saharan Africa where the fights over precious resources have led to the misery and death of millions and millions of innocent people. The same sub-Saharan Africa where Charles Taylor (a dangerous but comical ruler of genocidal behaviour) used to employ child soldiers to kill their own kind, adult or children, while he and others were busy selling diamonds to the same West (nor governments but companies and people... as far as I know) he was portraying to seek INDEPENDENCE from!
It is time for us, the peoples of these third world countries with lots of natural resources, to realise that it is NOT the West, or any other hypothetical foreign exploiting infidel power, doing us any harm or even intending to do much either, but it is our own unrepresentative blackmailing thuggish ruling cliques who are doing nothing but to sell our natural resources and use the money in order to keep their own illegitimate and irresponsible policies and actions going.
Yes, I do indeed believe that we as Iranians would have been much better off without our precious and abundant natural resources, but this is life, and something that could have turned into our best chance ever toward prosperity has indeed turned into our direct ticket toward social and economic stagnation and public hangings!
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America is finished.
by Raha (not verified) on Thu Dec 20, 2007 02:39 AM PSTThe Long Fall
A Market Without Parachutes
//www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18...
Arezu, the only reason that
by Farhad Kashani (not verified) on Tue Dec 18, 2007 05:33 PM PSTArezu, the only reason that there is resentment towards U.S hegemony in the world (With the exectpion of Iranian leftists and IRI supporters where they have a totally different reason why the hate the U.S) is the status of U.S as the only superpower. If you look through the history, you would see that every time there has been a superpower, there has been resentment towards it by a good number of countries or governments. If the U.S decalres Islam as its only religion, nukes Israel, accepts Khamenei's rule and adopts a communist system (Which is what you leftists and your IRI allies want) but remains a superpower, there would still be resentment, no doubt. Its a mater of pride issue. Look at the Persian ewmpire in pre-Islamic times, out of the known world territories at the time, some where ganged up against Persia and some against Rome. (Sounds familiar, Cold War maybe?) Look at the Mogul, Ottoman, British, French, Spanish, USSR, USA...it doesnt matter what policies they adopt. On the other hand, the Marxist-Islamist Iranians have a totally different reason why the hate the U.S. From my travels around the world, I clearly realized that these people are infected with "Oghdeh" and "Hasoodi" towards the U.S which is unique to Iranians only. I mean how do you explain Iranians bashing the U.S for Hiroshima more than the Japanese themselves? The U.S represented during Shah's time, modernism and capitalism which they resented it so much. It had and has nothing to do with U.S policies. Friends and foes know that the majority of Iranians are pro-U.S, not neccessarily pro-Bush. I would actually call that "pro" admiration of what U.S has acieved and become. To them, that OGHDEH has become a national policy adopted by the IRI.
Mr. Madadi, thanks for a
by Farhad Kashani (not verified) on Tue Dec 18, 2007 05:08 PM PSTMr. Madadi, thanks for a great article where you used logic and reason. You are a sample of the silent iranian majority voice that is on the rise. Keep up the good work.
People Vs. Empire
by Raha (not verified) on Mon Dec 17, 2007 02:46 PM PSTPeople Vs. Empire
By Arundhati Roy
//www.alternet.org/module/printversion/20734
.
Arezu jaan,
khoshhaalam ke vaghtet ro sarfe khoondaneshoon kardi
.
Ben,
"it is called third world countries in nicer words"
(?)
من فكر نميكنم, حداقل در مورد ايران و آمريكاي شمالي, بشه به اونها برچسب " جهان سومي, جهان اولي" زد. آياآمريكاي شمالي رو با وضعيت داخلي و سياست خارجيش ميشه بعنوان يه كشور جهان اولي در نظر گرفت
?
آياايران با توجه با وضعيت فعلي, يه كشور جهان سوميه
?
به هر حال اين دو وجه اشتراكهايي دارند كه
باعث ميشه كه نشه اونها رو به جهان اولي, جهان سومي, طبقه بندي كرد. براي مثال هردو بطور 'قانوني' آدم ميكشند. هر دو براي خودشون گوانتانامه هاي مخصوص خودشون رو دارند
..
Death
by Mohammad Ilyas on Sun Dec 16, 2007 12:34 PM PSTMy Writings
The people in U.S or Bush affected areas are not only afraid of their being losing their honour to foreign rule but are dying also. So Iranians are regulerly threat by U.S which itself is ailing with its worst form of imposed democracy. You just answer to the question, "Is ordinary folk enjoing pleasure of democracy there or crying for their children fallen victim to the failed dream of Mr.Bush to become the ultimate master of the world?".
Even if you are against Islamic values or faith do keep an eye on realities at least.
REPLY : REPLY to the comment below ( above? )
by Faribors Maleknasri M.D. (not verified) on Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:00 AM PSTI think the iranians - I mean the ones who live in IRI, have founded it and will protect it - have allready proved that they are willing to go the way they have chosen for themselves. It was 1978/79. they dont wait till they are allowed to choose. What should it mean banning some from elections? HOW WAS THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN USA? IS BUSHY BUSHY ON BELAVE OF DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS? NO. BUT ON BEHALVE OF A COURTDECISION. I do not see the democracy which should be for Iranians an example being worth to follow. The elections in IRI are as democratic as possible. Why should the ones who primarily say they are against the system will Reforms, will open the gates for strangers and behave anticonstitutionaly should be allowed to take part - passive or active - in elections? These poeple are in the minority. the ones who throw the strangers out of iran and founded thier Isalamic Republic counted at least in the years 1978/79 between 15 to 20 millions. Now the count at least 35 - 40 Mill. Someone else has written: the american war against IRI were acatastroph to Iranians. That may be true. But it would had been also a catastroph first of all to americans. The american imperialism has gone wild. they do not know what to do. All the warcry was nothing else than barking and grunting and lying and likewise activities. Again a word to the election: As I see the matter of iranians i think they are not so naive that they make the revolution and bring about the democratic conditions and then let the agents of the same strangers which they have thrown away take part in democratic elections. Since thirty years, specially in the ZERO O`clock they said they want poeple who were islamis in the time of Taghut. Since thirty years the Life conditions in IRI are getting better and better. And that under sever Pressure from abroad. The great satan has not left away even one of his tricks to change the islamic system. Now they pray for more democracy in IRI. And that just come from GUANTANAMO ORGANISER. All thier achievments should iranians give away? On the way letting the agents take part in thier democratic elections? I for my part hope for them they protect what they have achieved during the last 30 years and get even more. IF the great satan comes back again it would go through 1000X more with brutality and rubbery than in the passed by centuries. And this should never never happen again, the great satan will some day sooner or later just burn down by himself and the smoke will disappear for ever. That will be the day where all nations on the erath will live together in peace and freedom and friendship.Greeting
To: Raha - excell.artcle., Ben - read it defines why "EVIL Empir
by Arezu (not verified) on Sat Dec 15, 2007 12:58 PM PSTDear Raha:
Thank you for posting the web-link to this article. I had read it a long time ago; but when one looks at the history of U.S. intervention in the Middle East (this does not include what the U.S. has been doing in Asia, in Africa, in Central America etc..), in such a clean, and summarized fashion, the answer to the question: "WHY THEY HATE US SO MUCH?" is answered. And this article doesn't even include what happened since that time to present and still continuing.
No wonder there is a hatred, no wonder so many hate American imperialism, double standards, hypocrisy, and will resist the U.S. aggression.
Definitely distribute it. I believe I found one "error" at least to the best of my knowledge to the massacres at Jaleh Square - the article said "10,000" people, while the number was far less than this. I believe an extra "zero" was added.
Ben: I highly recommend that you read this. It give you a real insight as to what has been going on in the Middle East and amazing enough for 28 years IRI has withstood the U.S. aggression. For those who wonder why Iran is not giving up its nuclear program, this may provide the right answer.
Thank you again Raha
Reply to the comment below
by Ben Madadi on Sat Dec 15, 2007 12:31 PM PSTI would agree if the Iranian people would be truly allowed to choose their rulers, once in 4, 5, 7 or 10 years or whatever, without banning some from participating in elections. And if the people would choose what you mentioned then it would be okay, otherwise it's no more the will of the nation!
REPLY : WHAT SHOULD THIRD WORLD:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
by Faribors Maleknasri M.D. (not verified) on Sat Dec 15, 2007 08:39 AM PSTA very simple answer could be: Go the same way as the iranian nation. I mean those iranians who live in IRI, have founded it and will protect it till reappearing of Mahdi(s). the answer is easy , to practice it affords the readiness to a permanent sacrificing of a comfortable Life and finally the life itself. Not any nation is so rich and so blessed by religion as the iranian. so those will have more difficulties to go the same way. There are now nearly more than one billion Moslems from Indonesia to Andalusia. may be at least these poeple could choose for themselves the way iranians have chosen. They can expect help of any kind from glorious iranian nation. It is improtant that the selfreliance is rehabiliated first. As by the iranians.I think one can think about many things. But one can not educate a nation the way of life. every nation as well as every single person must find his way by his own. Greeting.
Why are these people afraid of the West?
by Raha (not verified) on Sat Dec 15, 2007 08:04 AM PST"First we need to see where we stand"
.
U.S. Intervention in the Middle East
//www.informationclearinghouse.info/article63...
,
Of The Evil Empire
//valenzuelasveritas.blogspot.com/2006/01/of-...