The Current State of Diplomacy with Iran

From the Tehran embassy riots to threatening to “wipe Israel off the map”, it is easy to see why many on the world stage feel threatened by an emerging Iranian nuclear program. Both the US and Israeli governments suspect that Iran is building a nuclear bomb. Diplomatic relations are further strained due to a feared preemptive Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

To understand US-Iranian relations one must look much further than the 1979 hostage crisis. During World War 2 the Allies invaded Iran to depose of a democratically elected leader and instead replaced him with a king (the Shah). The Shah was chosen because he had more oil-friendly policies towards the US and Britain. The Shah was a brutal dictator who cracked down on opposition and imprisoned political rivals. The secret police even used “enhanced interrogation” techniques CIA operatives introduced to them. In an effort to contain Revolutionary Iran, the Reagan administration supported the flow of intelligence, financing and even chemical military weaponry to Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi regime during the Iran-Iraq War.  

Understanding this, it is both hypocritical and naïve to assume that the Iranian government is always the neighborhood bully in the Mid-East. On a more intimate note, I personally know a number of Iranian people and have found that they are down-to-earth, ordinary people with the same goals and aspirations as I see in myself. They are often stereotyped abroad based on negative perceptions of their government (something Americans can relate to). The common Iranian has more interest in the success of their embargo-stricken economy than the success of their military. Advocating military intervention is unwise because it proves to the Iranian people that the stereotypical warlike nature of the United States is true.

Stereotyping divides people and hinders the human experience. We should realize that countries like Iran seem hostile because of the negative experiences with the US, not because they are inherently evil. By basing our future foreign policy on our common goal of peace instead of stereotypes, our “enemies” will be more likely to listen to our concerns. I do not have all the answers to the diplomatic crisis in the Middle East. However, I do know that recognizing our less-than –glamorous involvement in the region should be the first step to bettering relations with a nuclear Iran.

 -Drew


 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16900705

supplemental links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_support_for_Iraq_during_the_Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_war#Tanker_War_and_U.S._military_involvement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Soviet_invasion_of_Iran