Co-Chair, Utah Democratic Progressive Caucus
February 22, 2007
I’ve been very concerned about the recent reporting on Iran. It so reminds me of th
e build up to the invasion of Iraq which led to the disastrous mess in which we are so entangled.
I have a family connection to Iraq. My aunt married a Persian many years ago, and my cousin, Mahan and I are very close – almost sisters. Around my home, you’ll find a number of beautiful Persian artifacts, as well as stories and books of poetry from Persia/Iran. At family reunions I have met a number of Mahan’s Persian relatives who are remarkable, witty, and warm people. Many of them were forced to flee Teheran, Iran due to our involvement in the coup that placed the Shah in power in 1953. (You may remember that the US had a hand in that, and look where that has led us.)
This short video dropped in my email box yesterday. I clicked on the link and continued multitasking - had several windows open. When the music began I finished the current task and switched over. The first thing I saw was a city up against the mountains, which I assumed was Salt Lake. More images flashed - urban shots, cultural events, skiing, and soccer. Then, it became clear that I was not looking at photos of Salt Lake at all, I was looking at photos of Teheran. The similarities between the two are striking. Nothing spoke to me as powerfully as this video. In so many ways Teheran is more like Salt Lake City than any city in Iraq.
Iran being a completely different country than Iraq, and knowing this administration’s capacity to ignore facts, I decided to do some research and encourage you to do the same.
One of the most telling articles is Burnt Offerings by Gareth Porter in the June 2006 issue of The American Prospect magazine. It is revealed that Iran had been trying for 2-3 years to establish diplomatic talks with the US during the build-up of the Iraq invasion but was rebuffed. It wasn’t until after the Bush administration cut off diplomacy that Iran decided to pursue uranium enrichment. Now instead of seriously pursuing talks, we’re preparing to bomb them.
The facts are:
e build up to the invasion of Iraq which led to the disastrous mess in which we are so entangled.I have a family connection to Iraq. My aunt married a Persian many years ago, and my cousin, Mahan and I are very close – almost sisters. Around my home, you’ll find a number of beautiful Persian artifacts, as well as stories and books of poetry from Persia/Iran. At family reunions I have met a number of Mahan’s Persian relatives who are remarkable, witty, and warm people. Many of them were forced to flee Teheran, Iran due to our involvement in the coup that placed the Shah in power in 1953. (You may remember that the US had a hand in that, and look where that has led us.)
This short video dropped in my email box yesterday. I clicked on the link and continued multitasking - had several windows open. When the music began I finished the current task and switched over. The first thing I saw was a city up against the mountains, which I assumed was Salt Lake. More images flashed - urban shots, cultural events, skiing, and soccer. Then, it became clear that I was not looking at photos of Salt Lake at all, I was looking at photos of Teheran. The similarities between the two are striking. Nothing spoke to me as powerfully as this video. In so many ways Teheran is more like Salt Lake City than any city in Iraq.
Iran being a completely different country than Iraq, and knowing this administration’s capacity to ignore facts, I decided to do some research and encourage you to do the same.
One of the most telling articles is Burnt Offerings by Gareth Porter in the June 2006 issue of The American Prospect magazine. It is revealed that Iran had been trying for 2-3 years to establish diplomatic talks with the US during the build-up of the Iraq invasion but was rebuffed. It wasn’t until after the Bush administration cut off diplomacy that Iran decided to pursue uranium enrichment. Now instead of seriously pursuing talks, we’re preparing to bomb them.
The facts are:
- Iran is a much larger country than Iraq.
- It has been a democratic country; her people understand what democracy entails and want it.
- It has a very large population with a large and young demographic.
- Iran’s youth are attracted to western ideas and culture, and they have been systematically voting for moderate non-secular officials and winning.
Further research will unravel most of the rhetoric on Iran coming out of DC these days. Don’t be fooled. About the only thing Iran and Iraq have in common, besides the Shi’a population, are very large reserves of oil.
Now is the time for good Americans to decide if it is our right to go into Iran and destabilize it for the sake of oil, to wreak havoc and destroy more lives both Iranian and American. It didn’t work out so well in Iran after the coup. It hasn’t worked out so well in Iraq. Mark my words, it won’t turn out at all well if we try it again.
Read: Burnt Offering
How a 2003 secret overture from Tehran might have led to a deal on Iran’s nuclear capacity if the Bush administration hadn’t rebuffed it.
Now is the time for good Americans to decide if it is our right to go into Iran and destabilize it for the sake of oil, to wreak havoc and destroy more lives both Iranian and American. It didn’t work out so well in Iran after the coup. It hasn’t worked out so well in Iraq. Mark my words, it won’t turn out at all well if we try it again.
Read: Burnt Offering
How a 2003 secret overture from Tehran might have led to a deal on Iran’s nuclear capacity if the Bush administration hadn’t rebuffed it.
4 comments:
Sorry about the two deleted comments, I'm struggling..
It is outrageous that this administrations first response to any political problem abroad is to threaten with war. You talked about our involvement in the coup d'état in Iran in 1953. Its not really talked about much, but it is so meaningful to the discussion about Iran and Middle East politics in general. There is a great book called “All the Shahs Men” that details the whole coup and Kermit Roosevelt’s involvement. A good note to that is that British asked Truman to initiate a coup- but he wouldn’t do it. He had too much respect for those who want to democratize and nationalize their nations. When the Republicans took over after Truman however, they were fine with it. They never shy away from imperialistic adventures- just ask Nixon in Chile and Reagan in Nicaragua. This is the heart of the problem and the main reason why the United States is hated around the world. Bush and Iraq is just the frosting on the cake for the terrorists.
Just a few days ago the Iranian government offered to take down its nuclear program if every other nation will do the same.
Of course, the U.S. won't even do this. I still fail to understand how we expect other nations to disarm, but then continue to keep our own weapons. Makes no sense.
I grew up in South Florida where there is a sizable Iranian/Persian community and much to my surprise I discovered that SLC has an also has a sizable community.
When you look at the last years of the Clinton administration and you see how close were to having some normalcy of relations between Iran and the U.S. it angers me to see the rhetoric that the Bush administration spouts over Iran.
Iran does not want war; one need only look at an entire generation of Persians who were killed during the Iran – Iraq war to see this.
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