With all due respect, I finally found what I recognize as “Republican understanding” in regard to Republican Sen. McCain’s enjoinder, “Bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran!” and some Democrats as well; and, I have to fight off my inclination to call it stupidity or Corporate American greed, which is much easier to understand.
However, instead I have tried here to take a more intellectual approach to America’s “Iran policy”; the intent is to support President Obama’s attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution to Iran’s efforts to develop atomic weaponry instead of more war, and bring Iran into a peaceful world community, if that does indeed even exist today. In reading this, please consider threats of atomic war as opposed to peace on earth!
Republicans and Democrats appear to have a total loss of memory and have forgotten history, in terms of ‘why things are’.
Unfortunately, we Americans are victims of our own ‘doing’. And, it all goes back to 1953 when a Republican President Eisenhower was President; however Republican Ike was ‘elected’ by the American People and U.S. policy was and is American, and not just Republican, it is truly American. Here is our history from Wikipedia; I would ask all Americans to use their imagination and put their own feet into the shoes of an Iranian citizen, while considering the effects of history on events of 2015:
“1953 . .. U.S., organized coup removes Mosaddeq . . . Iran was ruled as an autocracy under the shah with American support from that time until the revolution. . . The Iranian government entered into agreement with an international consortium of foreign companies which ran the Iranian oil facilities for the next 25 years splitting profits fifty-fifty with Iran but not allowing Iran to audit their accounts or have members on their board of directors. In 1957 martial law was ended after 16 years and Iran became closer to the West, joining the Baghdad Pact and receiving military and economic aid from the US. In 1961 . . . Iran initiated a series of economic, social, agrarian and administrative reforms to modernize the country that became known as the Shah’s White Revolution. . . However the reforms, including the White Revolution, did not greatly improve economic conditions and the liberal pro-Western policies alienated certain Islamic religious and political groups. In early June 1963 several days of massive rioting occurred in support of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini following the cleric’s arrest for a speech attacking the shah.
“A border dispute between Iraq and Iran was resolved with the signing of the Algiers Accord on March 6, 1975.The Iranian Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolution, was the revolution that transformed Iran from an absolute monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, one of the leaders of the revolution and founder of the Islamic Republic. Its time span can be said to have begun in January 1978 with the first major demonstrations, and concluded with the approval of the new theocratic Constitution—whereby Ayatollah Khomeini became Supreme Leader of the country—in December 1979.
“In between, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi left the country for exile in January 1979 after strikes and demonstrations paralyzed the country, and on February 1, 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran to a greeting of several million Iranians. The final collapse of the Pahlavi dynasty occurred shortly after on February 11 when Iran’s military declared itself “neutral” after guerrillas and rebel troops overwhelmed troops loyal to the Shah in armed street fighting. Iran officially became an Islamic Republic on April 1, 1979, when Iranians overwhelmingly approved a national referendum to make it so.
“An early event in the history of the Islamic republic that had a long-term impact was the Iran hostage crisis. Following the admitting of the former Shah of Iran into the United States for cancer treatment, on November 4, 1979, Iranian students seized US embassy personnel, labeling the embassy a “den of spies.” Fifty-two hostages were held for 444 days until January 1981.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Iran#Reza_Shah_.281925.E2.80.931941.29
In that time period, America also has officially favored Iraq’s Saddam Hussein’s war against Iran (1980-1988) and the U.S.A. under President Reagan provided Saddam with war materials for waging the war, including gas warfare against Iran. Then in 1991, America under the first Republican President Bush, turned against Iraq in “Desert Storm”; and then in 2003 under the second President Bush, forced a regime change in Iraq, and the Iraqi dictator Saddam was executed (in violation of International Law).
So, America today appears unfortunately opposed to both Iran and Iraq, and the entire Mid East and the world ponders American policy motivation.
However, with the new ISIS threat in the Mid East and Iranian negotiations, I would ask Americans today to please consider America’s history with Iran, try to feel as an Iranian would feel towards America, atomic weaponry, and the world’s attitude toward the Mid East and especially Iran. Chances are, without considering history, an American’s attitude toward Iran and the People of Iran would be exceedingly different than based on just what goes on today.
Now, try again to think like an Iranian; would you and other Iranians prefer to become an integral and equal part of the World Community and the World Economy or would you prefer to nuke the United States of America. This is the question currently being negotiated with Iran by the U.S.A. and other Western nations (note it is not just the U.S.A alone doing the negotiating).
And now, as an American, would you prefer a friendly relationship to Iran, and an exchange of culture and trade with Iran, or join Sen. McCain in “bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran!”
Note that President Obama is not alone in negotiations with Iran; America is only one of a number of the world’s nations negotiating with Iran to have Iran join the world as an equal, or destroy the world and their self in a nuclear disaster.
President Obama is currently not only negotiating with Iran, but negotiating at the same time with other nations for a solution to Iran’s nuclear bomb research, and unfortunately seemingly negotiating with the U.S. Congress and “bomb, bomb, bomb Iran”.
In the end, it is up to us, the American People, to let our President and our Congress know whether we support or oppose their concept of America’s (and the world’s) relationship with the sovereign State of Iran. And let us all also listen to what Iran really wants to be and do.
Remember that Iran has a history and a civilization that predates that of Europe and America; Iran is not a nation of naked natives in opposition to a civilized culture. Iran is a Persian civilization that Europe and American embraced and built upon.
Please America, respect Iranian culture today that is obviously traditionally somewhat different from ours but equally entitled to our respect; think of history before coming to any conclusions about who to support politically. And remember, America is a small part of the entire world.
Meanwhile, God bless President Obama and his efforts to restore World Peace and Prosperity and eliminate atomic war and pestilence.