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Volume CXXXIII, Number 2 |
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Is Iran (really) the next Iraq?
ALEXANDER REED
CONTRIBUTOR
Today, when mentioning the situation in post-war Iraq and the overall war on terrorism, it is hard not to consider the role of Iraq's neighbor to the east: Iran. Ever since the days of Saddam Hussein's regime, America's relationship with Iran has been turbulent. At one point, the United States and Iran (or at least the Shah-controlled government of Iran) enjoyed good relations. It was not until the Islamic Revolution of 1979 when relations collapsed, an event that set in motion the present dilemma with Iran, and may transform into another invasion as part of the war on terrorism.
The Bush administration's justification for another regime change seems to be that the fundamentalist government of Iran is attempting to develop a nuclear weapons program. Sound familiar? As reported on MSNBC on August 6, according to US and foreign intelligence services Iran is "within just a few years of building a nuclear bomb." That's scary, but did the Bush administration have anything more than largely unsubstantiated claims and accusations to convince the American people of Saddam Hussein's threat? It seems that the same justification, if not the same rhetoric, is being used in an attempt to prepare the American public for yet another war if Bush is victorious in 2004.
However, it must be conceded that Iran is not a perfect country, and could very well be doing what our intelligence services say it is, if not worse. The country is without question undemocratic, devoid of what we would call "civil rights," and at worst, is a haven for Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. The question we must ask ourselves, therefore, is whether or not we believe our intelligence services on the nuclear and terrorist organizations threat, and if so, whether another unilateral, American invasion is the answer. If we are not to believe our intelligence services, the question of morality remains. Shouldn't we just liberate the Iranian people from a repressive government? For most who supported and still support the Iraq war, the answer is simple: we should do everything in our power to remove the fundamentalist Islamic government of Iran, and purge the world of the nation's nuclear threat and terrorist organizations, while at the same time freeing the Iranian people. For most who did not support the Iraq war, the answer is likely that Iran does need to undergo a regime change, but only under the force of Iranian self-determination. The correct answer is the latter. In the same way that the Soviet people toppled their own repressive government, so too can the Iranian people topple their government.
In fact, this is already taking place. Powerful and violent protests,
made of up of thousands of progressive university students, have been
steadily on the rise. With a little bit of international help, a full-blown
democratic revolution does not seem that far-fetched. So before we order
the tenth Mountain Division across the Zagros Mountains, maybe the Bush
administration should re-think its policy that has put us into our own
dilemma of sorts, should stop misleading its people, and should give democracy
a second chance in Iran.
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