Opinion
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How to Deal With Iran
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A38
October 16 • 2008
here are at least two problems
with the increasing calls for
the United States to engage
Iran.
Asserting that the United States
should "talk to Iran" assumes that we
don't — but we do.
Asserting that America's president
should talk to Iran's president mis-
understands who wields power in
Iran and what Iran wants — it is not
Ahmadinejad and it is not nuclear
weapons capability.
Real power in Iran is in the hands
of the clerics who formulated Iran's
broad, well-thought-out and very seri-
ous religious and political worldview.
It is Shi'ite in design, not Persian.
(Ahmadinejad talks about Iran. The
clerics talk about Islam.) Their program
is not born of imagined slights or mis-
deeds by a particular U.S. president, and
a new president will not reverse it.
Their worldview is positive, not reac-
tionary in that it proceeds from the belief
that expansion is the fate of Shi'ite Islam
and that this destiny is a good one. They
don't want to be our friends; they do want
us not to be in their way.
The nuclear quest began with the
shah, was adopted by the Islamic
Revolution and has proceeded throu
"reformist" and "reactionary" Iranian
presidents — Ahmadinejad is nastier,
but no more important than the others.
Nuclear capability is a tactical goal in
the strategic quest for regional hege-
mony and expansion of Shi'ite Islam.
Focus on nuclear weapons as an end in
themselves distracts from Iran's imme-
diate, though not necessarily existential,
threats to the United States and Israel.
In the Middle East, Iran arms, trains
and supports Shi'ite Hezbollah in
Lebanon and Sunni Hamas in the Gaza
Strip and increasingly on the West Bank.
Iran's investment in Hezbollah before
the 2006 war was more than $1.5 bil-
lion; what was lost has been replaced
and upgraded. Iran is the main support-
er of Syria's President Assad, has aided
the PKK paramilitary group seeking an
independent Kurdish state and provides
training and equipment for militias in
Iraq (including Sunni ones).
In our hemisphere, Iran has joined
Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in
showy displays of anti-Americanism.
Energy-based Iranian relations with
Russia, China, India, Turkey and
Western Europe serve to undermine
American interests.
domestically. Energy is fun-
About what should we talk?
gible — an increase in global
Which of these, or nuclear
supply makes Iranian oil less
weapons, will Iran give up
expensive and reduces the
and why? And who would
windfall to the mullahs.
we betray in our efforts to
• Strike back at Iran when
cement a deal?
it violates the border of Iraq
Inside Iran, the clerical
to strike at U.S. troops. The
police — not Ahmadinejad
same should apply to Syria's
— are the guardians of
decision to reopen its eastern
Shoshana
"public morality." They are
border and allow Al Qaida
Bryen
the "modesty police" who can
access to western Iraq.
Special
beat women for supposed
• Forge new regional rela-
Commentary
indiscretions of dress, and
tionships independent of the
they are the ones who hang
Palestinians. After the Arab
homosexuals and stone adulterers. They states and Israel come to understand-
arrest and "disappear" student leaders,
ings about security, the Palestinians will
ban books, monitor phone calls, break
have the Arab cover they need to make
up demonstrations and persecute the
their peace with Israel.
Bahai.
•Avoid steps that legitimize the
The Iranian people desperately hope
regime; otherwise we risk abandoning
we will not abandon them to "talk" to
people who are not our enemies and
their jailers.
who should be our friends.
Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons
•Ensure close coordination of
does not only threaten Israel, although
American and Israeli policies and con-
Israel rightly takes the greatest interest
tinue firm American support for Israel;
in its progress. The Arab world from
it sends a message.
the Gulf to Lebanon to Egypt fears an
Sometimes talk is cheap. In this case,
aggressive Iran; it is terrified by the
the wrong kind of talk can be danger-
thought of a nuclear one.
ous. ❑
Interestingly, Israeli Defense Minister
Ehud Barak recently told a visiting
Shoshana Bryen is senior director for securi-
delegation of American Jews, "We have
ty policy at the Jewish Institute for National
common ground with moderate forces
Security Affairs in Washington.
in the Arab world. Israel's [nuclear]
program never threatened them; Iran's
does. We have a common interest in
not seeing Iraq subjugated by Iran and
worry about the future of Syria."
Olmert's from page A37
This suggests a policy direction for
the United States: Don't "talk" with a
pressure that comes with the territo-
powerless "president" or clerics who
ry nor did she want to second-guess.
believe they are on the right side of his-
But she has not stopped throwing
tory; push back where alliances are pos-
brickbats from the day she became a
sible and adopt an energy policy based
private citizen.
on national security.
Addressing the issue of Jerusalem,
As Iran is positive in its worldview,
Olmert said:
we must be in ours. That means several
"This decision is difficult, terrible,
important steps. In addition to main-
a decision that contradicts our natu-
taining strong support for Israel, we
ral instincts, our innermost desires,
must:
our collective memories, the prayer
• Make Latin America more favorable
of the Jewish people for 2,000 years!"
to the United States and inhospitable
After 2,000 years, one would think
to Iran by approving the Colombia
Olmert might have displayed the
Free Trade Pact, dropping tariffs on
political patience and waited just
Caribbean sugar for ethanol (ecologi-
a little longer to let his successor
cally better than corn), taking socialist,
answer those prayers.
pro-free-market democratic Brazil and
Chile seriously, and isolating Nicaragua
Berl Falbaum is a former political report-
(not hard; the Sandinistas aren't popu-
er. He is an author, Farmington Hills
lar).
public relations executive and teaches
• Diversify American sources of
journalism at Wayne State University,
energy, deriving as much as we can
Detroit.
.
❑