The benefit of hindsight..
Reader comment on: The Van Diepen Demarche
in response to reader comment: Demise of the West

Submitted by Jaffer Clarke, Dec 6, 2007 10:51

With the benefit of hindsight it is now possible for us to declare that Iran is only interested in peaceful nuclear energy production. Just recently we had to confess that the current situation in the West was critical. The United States issued constant threats that they were about to bomb Iran; Iran played cat and mouse with the UN; so I guess it's still a suitable time to look at foreign and domestic affairs in that country.

With a 20 litres a week ration on petrol and a resultant thriving black market, motorists clamour as ever in the pollution-ridden streets, avenues and boulevards of the city. Such evidence of wealth is compounded by a plethora of mobile phones, laptops and Western c ds. Satellite dishes are in profusion everywhere, particularly in the suburban areas of the city. The infrastructure of Iran continues to bloom, with progress in the construction of streets, bridges, hospitals, hotels and motorways. Women in Iran continue to defy controls on dress, behaviour and deportment as witnessed in Tehran contemporaneously. It is possible that Iran could move to a more hard right position on these social issues by conscripting women into its Republican Guard and, if all males of conscription age are included, that would double the count of "terrorists" that the West undertakes frequently. However, this move is unlikely, since there has been another slight thaw in relations between the government's social police force, the Baseej, and young, teenage, Western-minded females. In Tehran women continue to use the most innovative ways of self expression to oppose conservative hardliners.

Massive, uncontrolled energy use is the driving force for the need for ever greater megawatts of electricity production, hence the need to generate power by nuclear fission. This is the vindication of the intelligence reports that have just been issued in Washington confirming that Iran gave up its attempts at producing nuclear headed weapons in 2003. We can now be assured that Iran's search for a nuclear option is driven by their energy requirements.

Recently, the head of the Assembly of Experts assured the people that what is good for the government is fine for the people of Iran. Despite, disgruntled landowners dispossessed by the Khomeini revolution, a handful of Royalists, and despite mutterings against the regime due to inflation running at an official 15.4%, and its spending on Hezbollah and Fattah, Iranians are powerfully behind their government in its anti-Western stances.

Diplomatic efforts with the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) have also proved, or at least tried to assess carefully, Iran's peaceful electricity generating intentions. It is now for the U S to drop all warlike intentions against Iran and try to cooperate with them in a search to integrate the Iranian economy into the world body by allowing for more trade, less sanctions, proper encouragement of Iran's education seeking young people, more tourism in the west and vice versa. And finally to drop the campaign of hatred instigated by the neocons in Washington.

Proponents of the US view have publicised, in an article in 'The Nation', [September, 2006] by Dave Lindorff, the fact that they think that an attack on Iran would result in the immediate collapse of the Iranian regime. Anyone who contends that a military strike against Iran would have led to a wave of support to dissidents by the population is mistaken. This is the most grievous error of neo-conservative thinking by those around Dick Cheney and Dr Condoleezza Rice.

Diplomatic ties with North Korea and Venezuela were recently strengthened. Syria is a close ally and Iran currently gives help to Palestine, Afghanistan, Fattah and Hezbollah. This dilutes an economy already in distress, but the government has the clear support of a population which has been attacked by Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Their people were about to be bullied by an imperial, oil mad regime in Washington, yet they still pay scant attention to it preferring to have confidence that the US is overstretched, Intelligence poor, financially troubled, and prepared to revise its views on foreign policy. Jaffer Clarke

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