Outlook

Lets all keep a cool head, try another perspective.

The headlines once again bear more saber rattling from the US over Iran's nuclear program. But now, apart from Iran's nuclear program, the US is claiming that it is justified to invade if insurgent movements in Iraq can be traced back to Iran. I think that is one of the most hollow diplomatic justification I've heard and even more so coming from the USA. Let us not forget that it was the US who armed and supplied the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan against the Soviets and it was the US who armed and supported the Bay of Pigs fiasco; this is just the tip of the iceberg. Would the USSR or Cuba been able to justify a full out invasion against the US then? Under the guise that US was supplying armed insurgents? Of course the champion of democracy justifies all its actions during the cold war as necessary for bringing down communism. Now that communism is down, is Islam next? Maybe Iran can also justify retaliation against the US for its role in supplying and supporting Saddamn Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war?

I am not a hardline supporter nor a holocaust denier. I don't think Tehran is blameless, rather, I think there needs to be more concrete justifications before going to war. A war in which civilian casualties will be high. Iran is a big country and air strikes alone will not suffice; some form of ground invasion is inevitable. The cold war may be over but MAD is still very relevant, especially if Iran achieves weapons grade fuel over the next few months or has already done so. Talks about Israel arming its Dolphin Class submarines with nuclear missiles suggests that Iran may be pinned in from all sides. Cornered and threatend, Iran will eventually engage it's agressors.

The key is to enage Tehran and to let diplomacy take its course. Forcing Tehran into a corner in the hopes of strengthening one's position at the negotiation table does not take into consideration the value of Persian pride. In most Asian cultures, pride, like the value of "face" in Chinese culture, is something very important; something worth dying over. Sensitivities are always required. The cries of clash of civilisations presupposes 2 very different cultures. The West should use this difference as an advantage and not ride roughshod over it. Wanting the East to think West is never going to work.

I think that the US' war cries are akin to the cries of a little spoilt brat that's used to having everything his way. And when things don't, he starts blaming everyone else when the blame lies squarely on his shoulders. I'm sure American intelligence knew before invading Iraq that Iran would support insurgent movements in Iran. After all, your enemy's enemy is your best friend is a diplomatic adage that has been around since time immemorial. And well practiced by the Americans.