On January 20th the 44th President of the United States will be sworn in. Although due to lack of detailed policy pronouncements by the incoming administration the jury is still out on its precise stance, in the foreign policy sphere a prominent promise has been made to change the dynamics of the Iran-U.S. relations.
Even though the initial offer of “direct talk without any precondition” has been modulated gradually to include some aspects that could be construed as precondition, the stage is set for if not an outright one on one summit of leaders but some modality leading to meetings at higher levels than has taken place previously between the two sides.
In addition to this and probably more germane than this looming promised development is the sea change of attitudes that the new administration will impose on the whole enterprise by virtue of historical circumstances and happenstance. The wayward policies which made any coherent initiative a nonstarter will be gone as will the excuses for all the shortcomings being blamed on the status quo which had created a classic catch-22 dilemma.
Absent the palpable hostility towards the current administration’s post 9/11 unilateralism, extrajudicial liberties and gesticulations bordering on loutish mannerism there will be a whole new reality to contend with. In addition to the mostly graying traditional Anti-Americans of yesteryears and the extreme wing of the religious conservatives the chief beneficiaries of the current Administration’s lackadaisical attitude towards international norms and sensitivities have been the undemocratic regimes blaming their shortcomings on the current U.S. policy and for good measure getting on board the various fast moving Bush-Basher stream rollers.
Come January the 20th all those excuses will cease to exist and once again the nitty-gritty of a great participatory democracy will come into play. Gone will be the days when under the Anti-Bush banner Tin-pot dictators from Castro to Mugabe stood shoulder to shoulder with lifelong humanitarians. Gone also will be the chance for the opportunists who used the general international discontent with the current American Administration to try to slap on a new coat of paint and resuscitate their failed dictatorial ideologies. The oil lobbyists and gofers of all shade and color too will have a slightly harder time to earn their keeps.
The historic aspect of the new American President alongside the doom and gloom of the world wide economic condition in conjunction with the spreading of the flames of injustice and ignorance fueled hostilities burning ever more ferociously here and there on top of the pent-up anger and disgust at the outgoing administration has prepared the stage for a uniquely American specialty.
The true American Shock and Awe has always been in its ability to simultaneously unburden itself of mistakes, reinvent, retool and soberly face seemingly insurmountable challenges head on coming out of them more democratic and better at spreading its bounty of freedom. The most valuable and cherished American currency has always been hope for the brighter future and the accompanying can do attitude to achieve it.
Season’s greetings.
Recently by Shahriar Zangeneh | Comments | Date |
---|---|---|
Islamic Republic, take note! | - | Oct 06, 2012 |
Islamic Republic, take note! | - | Sep 05, 2012 |
Islamic Republic, take note! | - | Jul 21, 2012 |
Person | About | Day |
---|---|---|
نسرین ستوده: زندانی روز | Dec 04 | |
Saeed Malekpour: Prisoner of the day | Lawyer says death sentence suspended | Dec 03 |
Majid Tavakoli: Prisoner of the day | Iterview with mother | Dec 02 |
احسان نراقی: جامعه شناس و نویسنده ۱۳۰۵-۱۳۹۱ | Dec 02 | |
Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day | 46 days on hunger strike | Dec 01 |
Nasrin Sotoudeh: Graffiti | In Barcelona | Nov 30 |
گوهر عشقی: مادر ستار بهشتی | Nov 30 | |
Abdollah Momeni: Prisoner of the day | Activist denied leave and family visits for 1.5 years | Nov 30 |
محمد کلالی: یکی از حمله کنندگان به سفارت ایران در برلین | Nov 29 | |
Habibollah Golparipour: Prisoner of the day | Kurdish Activist on Death Row | Nov 28 |
You are seriously
by American Wife on Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:00 AM PSTanti-American. Your last sentence evokes something of a threat against the US... or at the very least, pleasure at her demise.
I dare say that many European countries are, in fact, quite thankful to the US and "their coherts" for stepping into both WWI and WWII.
Might I ask where you live? I would assume you are currently living in Iran, supporting her cause and fighting the IRI regime with all your might. Correct? Or no... you are living elsewhere, enjoying the freedoms and rights of another country, perhaps?
We Iranians Should Not Fall For The Tricks of HOSSEIN
by A Conservative Iranian Republican (not verified) on Mon Dec 29, 2008 02:04 AM PSTPlease take a little time to look at this 30 second clip. I am interested to know your opinions regarding it. I view it as a clear outline of the Iranian regime and how B. Hussein Obama will treat it differently than President Bush has.
Are these quotes representative of Sen. Barack Obama?
If they are, do you support these views?
Whatever you think of this video, it is a clear example of how Sen. McCain would have had an offensive foreign policy platform, similar to President Bush's, as opposed to Obama's defensive one.
In my opinion this is what B. Hussein Obama believes. I disagree with him, and I disagree strongly, but I will not insult him. Many people, including myself, view him as under-qualified to be president. Especially when taking his 'present' votes in the IL state senate into account. He is a respectable human being, especially because he admitted his mistakes on the O'Reilly Factor, but so did Senator McCain. Sen. Obama's social policies are very out-of-touch with the rest of us living in America who are pro-life and anti-gay marriage. Obama opposed something similar to the Born Alive Infants Act in the IL State Senate. Also, Obama opposed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban that President Bush supported and proudly passed. Obama is for the radical redefining of marriage. I just hope Obama will not go through with his promise of ending President Bush's prodigious tax-cuts and fixing loopholes such as cell phone taxes and internet taxes, will be sure to keep our low inflation and HIGH GDP growth rate.
My final message:
Thank You President Bush
Vote Huckabee 2012
Meet the Emperor: You guys all are hocked by the fairy tales..
by Anonymous54 (not verified) on Sun Dec 28, 2008 06:58 AM PST>
<
<||><||>||<
<||><||>||<
<||><||>||<
<||><||>||<
I almost had an orgasm when I read the following lines "The true
by hashary (not verified) on Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:09 AM PST"American Shock and Awe has always been in its ability to simultaneously unburden itself of mistakes, reinvent, retool and soberly face seemingly insurmountable challenges head on coming out of them more democratic and better at spreading its bounty of freedom." WOW!
Kurosh,
by Killjoy (not verified) on Thu Dec 25, 2008 12:27 PM PSTYou wrote:
"Our Iranian civilization is not great because of its rulers and its ancient history, but because our compassion for the grief of others who have not been fortunate."
Could you please give some examples of Iranians' compassion?
Maybe I didn't look hard or maybe I ran into the "wrong" people, but I have to admit I have yet to come across such Iranians, collectively.
The true what?
by Kurush (not verified) on Thu Dec 25, 2008 08:37 AM PSTTo use the term 'shock and awe' in a feel-good essay which proclaimes that redemption is finally at hand and heaven & utopia are just around the corner is simply in bad taste. 'Shock and awe' was the rubric used for the initiation of a brutal and barbaric invasion of a nation which was down on its knees due to debilitating sanctions, the harbinger of that great tragic event of our lives which is still unfolding in Iraq. To use it lightly is in bad taste when our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Afghanistan have born the savage brunt of it all. It might come as a surprise to the author of this essay that the Americans and their Western cohorts were the agents of this dastardly act. It might equally come as a 'shock', if not awe, to the author, that many of us out there know better that the monolithic, plutocratic tight-fisted two-party system, which is in actuality a dictatorship of the rich, for the rich and by the rich, has never brought anything good for the world and humanity. The history of America is an unceasing succession of wars: no sooner did the wars of extermination of the natives of North America come to an end than the American aggression and occupation of the Philippines began, which was then followed by WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan. And all that for a country that has been in existence for a mere two cenuries. Obama is an apratchik of the tyranny of the plutocratic regime in the US. His mission, yet to be accomplished, is to continue the illegal occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, despite his promises, and to build permanent bases there for further aggressions. Our Iranian civilization is not great because of its rulers and its ancient history, but because our compassion for the grief of others who have not been fortunate. Thus as Iranians we must stop being so grovelling towards a brutal racist power which has brought so much greif and tragedy to the world. The US and its leaders are morally corrupt, have always been, and will soon collapse into smithereens. Then, will we celebrate in peace!
At least give credit
by BS Meter (not verified) on Thu Dec 25, 2008 07:43 AM PSTAt least give credit to the person who originally wrote this piece and you are trying to pass on as yours on here.
I, Too
by Killjoy (not verified) on Thu Dec 25, 2008 06:50 AM PSTI, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed -
I, too, am America.
- Langston Hughes, 1925