As known to all, Obama began his presidency by reaching out to Iran; recall his March Nowruz (Iranian new year) message. Although some, e.g., Roger ("Iran is not totalitarian") Cohen, would have us believe that this move "unsettled" Ahmadinejad, quite the contrary is true. The Middle East is a region of savage cruelty, and nowhere is this more apparent than Iran, where homosexuals are hanged, "adulterers" are stoned to death, Baha'is are persecuted, Kurds are oppressed, Sunni Muslims are abused, and women are demeaned. Kindness in Tehran is often construed as weakness.
This view of the fledgling American president's infirmity was recently reinforced by Obama's decision to escalate the war in Afghanistan while announcing a timetable for troop withdrawal. This could only amuse Iran, which, at a cost of 800,000 casualties, fought Iraq over the course of eight years to a standoff, and which is infamous for sending children, holding plastic keys guaranteeing their entry into heaven, to clear Iraqi minefields.
A few free words of advice to the president:
Sunni/Shiite equilibrium in the region was destroyed when the Saddam regime fell, and Iran is feeling its oats and probing for infirmity.
The 2006 clash between Israel and Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, was an attempt to determine if Israel's civilian population could weather prolonged rocket attacks, and the 2009 clash between Israel and Iranian proxy, Hamas, amounted to more of the same. However, these indirect conflagrations with Israel were just undercards with the added benefit of exhibiting Iran's leadership and prowess to the Muslim masses.
The main event remains a Sunni/Shiite affair, and if you don't believe me, just ask the Saudis and the Gulf states whom they fear more, Iran or Israel.
Iran continues to probe Saudi weakness via its Houthi proxies in the northwest Saada province of Yemen.
The seizure of the oil well on the Iraqi border is also a probe. Is Obama able to cope with two wars and the possibility of a third conflict?
The name of the game is Middle East hegemony, and thus far Iran dominates the arena. Time for Obama to voice support for the Iranian dissidents, which, apart from being the moral thing to do, will also demonstrate to Tehran that he is not toothless. Obama still needs to learn when to hold them (constraining Iran), and when to fold them (departing Afghanistan).
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"The name of the game is Middle East hegemony"
ReplyDeletePrecisely!
Liberals, including our president, love Ahmedi... as they loved Stalin, Castro, Mao and other tyrants. They are eager to trust and to please him. Our liberal elite may even share a common cause with Iran: hatred toward Israel.