I just read on Guardian that Obama's administration is contemplating to send a letter to Iran's leaders to respond to symbolism of Ahmadinejad's congratulatory letter sent to Obama on Nov 6th, 2008.
What worries me is this:
"One draft proposal suggests Iran should compare its relatively low standard of living with that of some of its more prosperous neighbors and contemplate the benefits of losing its pariah status in the West. Although the tone is conciliatory, it also calls on Iran to end what the US calls state sponsorship of terrorism."
Mr Obama: THIS IS A FATAL MISTAKE! If you want to make peace with Iranians, make sure to compare them to NO ONE! To attempt to allure Iranians by the wealth of, say, Saudi Arabia is just going to be OFFENSIVE to the Iranian people!
If you take time to understand the depth of Persian psychology and philosophy, you would realize that hey THRIVE on being different from the rest of their neighbors. Iranians look at the wealth of Arabs states with disdain. They consider Pakistan a backward country that is run by puppet governments. If you consider their zeal for being culturally and philosophically distinct, you would understand why America's CARROTS & STICKS policy (which I think is championed by the dumb obliterating woman Hillary Clinton,) IS NEVER GOING TO WORK. It has never worked with Persians and it never will!
What you need to know about Persians is that, irrespective of how Capitalist Iran looks, Persians are STOIC individuals. It is beaten into their psychology since almost day one of life that honor is more important than material comfort; that material comfort corrupts the soul; that prosperity is in knowledge and in spirit and not in bank accounts.
What will deliver results is if you treat them as equals; if you negotiate with them for advancement of a common cause; and if you seek in them a partner. Keep in mind Mr Obama, that for Iran, relations to China and India are attractive alternatives to having economic links to the US.
You want Iran's cooperation with uranium enrichment, help them build their reactors. Iran is not pursuing the bomb. But if you want to avoid nuclear weapons race in the Middle East, disarm Israel of its nuclear arsenal.
If you want Iran's cooperation, hail their scientists and praise their technological achievements under economic sanctions.
If you want Iran's friendship, APOLOGIZE not only for American Coup of 1953; but also for sitting by watching Saddam drop chemical bombs on Iranians.
If you want Iran's friendship stop this stupid "sponsorship of terror" charge, while you are supporting Israeli terrorism, and evidence of which just unfolded in front of our eyes.
If you want to make amends with Iran, thank them for helping you against Al-Quaeda and apologize for branding them "axis of evil".
If you want Iran's unclenched fist, then praise the FACT that this nation has not launched an aggressive war against anyone in its modern (or even ancient) history!
If you want peace with Iran, stand up and look them in the eye and tell the Iranian people that you commend them for being the most stable country in the region, despite all havoc previous administrations have been wreaking in Iran!
If you want peace with Iran, CONTRAST THEM with their neighbors! Iranians had a bloody revolution to make sure they are NOT LIKE THEIR PROSPEROUS NEIGHBORS! So ... fix your paradigm correctly.
Dixies come to mind ... "I'm not ready to make nice ..."
Okey I will be ready to make nice if you play it nice and keep that Clinton and her Zionist bosses away from the letter writing desk!
P.S. I just realized that Ahmadinejad's requested and American apology too! This is to declare that in my opinion, Ahmadinejad is a liar; who is trying to gain political capital, which he will later use to gamble with the economy and the democracy of Iran. I am not ready to make nice with him either!
15 comments:
Naj,
I am going to link to this on my blog. I love it. The Guardian publkished an opinion in which they declared that AhmadiNejad's demand for an apology is a show of weakness.
I consider Obama's mannerism in adressing Iran's president duplicitious. Obama must know that the written word is important in Islam. And his written words, if they are condescendant, are going to make even more damage and more negative impact than Bush's and Rice's hawkish statements about Iran. I am not very happy with Obama's approach which is being labeled as thoughtful and dovish...It will take people in the US and in the west in general the will to understand the countries with whcih they are in conflict. Either this will does not exist or they are faking their willingness to talk...
Sophia,
I think (and hope) that Ahmadinejad's doomed!
This man has been living out of chaos and controversy. Whereas I agree with his many controversial comments, there is no shred of genuineness in him. He is a populist who manipulates by the cheapest means possible. He has mirrored the economic wreck brought about by Bush's greedy buddies.
That said, I cannot render a judgment on Obama's letter before it is actually written. However, given that Ahmadinejad and Iranians have not been very prudent in the way they "write", I am sure they are not going to be too picky on how Obama writes his letter. I think they would be pleased if Obama doesn't write an open letter, so they can spin it as they wish. But I hope Obama's letter will be an open one!
At this juncture of history, I am bound to trust Obama's intentions over that of the Iranian leaders. I am grateful that Iran's regime has kept Iran out of harms way so far. But this IS their BEST chance to unclench their fist. Iranians are tired of being isolated; and whether Iranian "intellectuals" like it or not, the Iranian masses DO like America (far more than Britain, France, Russia or Germany) and identify with it far more closely than with China and India. This is ironic, given that the culturally these are the "oriental block".
I am watching with interest ... and I think there is hope in the horizon.
Naj, print & post this to the Whitehouse, couldn't hurt.
I think it ate my comment...
So, Naj, really, print this & post it to the Whitehouse/State Department, God knows they could use more informed guidance on matters beyond their own shores, and just think... Ambassador Naj!
lol Rick :)
Well I did send them my penny of advice actually!
But seriously, Iranians are very "complex" people, psychologically! Their being at the epicenter of Occident and Orient crossing has made them into "unique" species ;)
I suspect there will be plenty of battle of wits going back and forth and I honestly think Obama himself IS up to task ... not that Hilly though ...!
Naj
I have to laugh! This is stuff II was gathering and just talking about! Obama did say Iranian people and their civilization was great and that is a plus but in one of those drafts I thought of you when it mentioned poor economies.
I knew you would take exception to that even I did. Ahmadinejad expecting an apology is a no go. I believe we did wrong but Obama was not even alive then but that will never happen. What I think it has to boil down to is us accepting Iran as is and start with a clean slate.
Dwelling on the past at this point will only guarantee living in the past and we want to move into a peaceful unified future. If not, with the weapons of today we are in serious trouble. The entire world better realize that!
Naj, how about let's wait and see what the final draft (if it is an open letter) looks like?
We already know that Obama knows how to appoint competent people, let's hope he picked somebody who knows something about Iran. There's plenty of Iranian expats here, let's hope he's got somebody talking to them.
Till then, take a deep breath and relax, OK? :)
Dude, did you post a bunch of replies while I was writing this?
A comaprison between Iran's and Turkey's per capita income - using 2 different methodolgies, may be found @
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4378687839405064553&postID=2628406511502590082
Note that the difference is 2,500 per year.
Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia are irrelevant as their population is much smaller.
Good smack down, Naj! Obama should be making nice to you. Right now, I'd say that he needs you more than you need him.
Jim,
I agree that past-dwelling won't get anyone anywhere. But if so, then why isn't the world giving up on remebering Holocaust? A part of "Acknowledgment" of the past aims at ensuring a better future.
No Obama wasn't alive in 1953; but he is representative of a continuous history. As head of a state that has not renounced it past, any wrong doing of America in the past 4 centuries should burden him. An American apology to Iran for all wrong doings of America 9ncluding shooting down a passenger plane), and an apology from Iran for the hostage crisis will wipe the slate clean and it costs nothing more than words.
Nunya:
yup i will wait. i thought i should give hi advice on how to write a good effective letter ;)
Anonymous:
Good you mention Turkey. I think Turkey's being engulfed in Europe makes it vastly different from Iran. Especially because their turn of the century "modernization" revolution did not meet the religious resistance that it met in Iran.
Gene:
Let's say they both need each other.
You are wrong about Turkey - they are not engulfed by Europe. They are rejected by it. Moreover, what achievement they have has been obtained at a high cost - there is a schism in their soul not just with respect to Islam but also in regards to how much of their culture they owe to Iran. Read "My Name is Red" by Hamuk.
lol
I thought you were a Turkey-admirer last year, Pen!
Flippin' again?
I don't care much about Turkey really ... they are another one of those "rough" neighbors of Iran who lack finness in my view ;)
"If you want Iran's unclenched fist, then praise the FACT that this nation has not launched an aggressive war against anyone in its modern (or even ancient) history!"
LOL!
If Persia never invaded anyone, how did the Persian Empire come about?
Elizabeth,
You don't need to go back 2500 years to find evidence of Persian expansionism ... The last time it happened was about three hundreds years ago: Nader shah the founder of Afshar dynasty conquered India and was on his way to conquer Turkey but he was killed by his own men ...
What is important, however, is that as a whole, the Persian culture does not cherish the expansionists of its history; there is not pride in "we were the invaders and the killers" ... the cultural/historical myth is constructed such that educate the people that Persian empire expanded BECAUSE it was a fair one, that tolerated people's religious freedom and autonomy.
In fact, I think if you look around, you see that Persian empire did not turn the empire into zoroasterianism or mitraism. did not make people speak or write in Persian languages, ... and even tolerated the most disenfrenchized people of the ancient world: the Israelites!
Does this answer your question?
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