There are different views concerning sanctions against Iran, these days. Some believe that sanctions would result in Iranian government abandoning its nuclear policies. Some others believe that sanctions would not change anything. Some suggest military options. Those who do not believe in sanctions or military actions, recommend political pressure of western countries on Iran. They discourage western powers of engaging in any kind of negotiations on the nuclear issues, and insist on the pressure to be concentrated on human rights issues and by the UN. To examine these views, following questions must be answered:• Why is it important for the western powers to stop Iran from reaching nuclear power?
• Why UN pressure on Iranian government is not for lack of basic human rights?
• Who will benefits and who will be harmed in sanction policy?
• What will happen if Israel attacks Iran and destroys nuclear facilities?
• Is the green movement of Iran a genuine and national movement; or it is just a disturbance that would be put down violently by the government as in the past instances with students, workers, and women uprisings?
In order to study a phenomenon, one should look at the nature of the phenomenon and analyze it, study its history, and examine what it is influenced by and check its impacts on others. This will ease a forecast or a determination of future of that phenomenon. Therefore, to answer the first question, we should study nuclear energy and its significance for western governments.
• With the recent events in “Three Miles Island” and in “Chernobyl”, people oppose any use of nuclear energy and demand its eradication, whether for energy or for defense purposes. There is no question of mullahs' ambitions to access nuclear energy for military purposes. On the hand, there is no doubt that having and acquiring nuclear energy is a national issue, a decision for any government to make without threats from US (the only country who has used nuclear bomb against another nation) or any foreign governments. US government was assisting Iran to receive nuclear energy during the Shah’s rule. US's opposition to Iran achieving nuclear technology seeks a different aim, to get total submission of Iranian government, as with other governments in the region. The nuclear rhetoric diverts all the attentions from the uprising in Iran and distracts media to this superfluous issue. It is clear that mullahs would do anything to stay in power. Mutual verbal attacks are caused by mullahs’ unwillingness to become totally at the disposal of the western governments, as other governments in the region are. Notwithstanding that all the actions of the Iranian government so far has been in the best interest of the superpowers, such as uprooting any socialist or nationalist movement, destroying agriculture and industry, making the country dependent on the IMF and other global financial tools of superpowers, keeping the country poor and uneducated, erasing any sign of democracy and forcing despotism. US government knows that if mullahs become doubtful of their grip on power, they will submit to all the west’s demands. The history of the past 31 years shows that neither Iranian national interest, nor the religion has determined any policy made by Iranian ruling class, but their power. If mullahs are forced to become a pawn of the superpowers like their neighbors, then the slogan of “death to America” will be changed to suit their benefactor. Nuclear energy rhetoric is used in order to keep the game played longer. US will continue its threat until the Iranian government submits. Iranian government uses Ahmadi Nejad to keep the rhetoric, and takes hostages whenever it wants something to exchange.
• UN was established after WWII to benefit the west and rich nations (who fund the organization), and it still serves the same purpose. Resolving any human rights issue in Iran will endanger all the despot governments in the region. Knowledge is the worst enemy of dictatorship. Freedom of press and any kind of enlightenment in Iran will definitely influence some movements in neighboring countries. Western powers will try to stifle any movement in Iran that may lead to that, and mullahs are the best tool to achieve that. On the other hand, uprisings in Iran are brutally put down by the government with the accusation of spying for foreign governments. Any direct action by foreign powers in Iran will give the government better excuse to put down any protest harsher. Western powers must break any political relationship with the Iranian government in order to oppose torture and killing of innocent people. However, this is contradictory to what was just said about the aim of western governments.
• Draft of a new set of sanctions was distributed among UN Security Council today. This sanction will benefit western governments and the leadership in Iran, but it will hurt Iranian people. Sanctions will give the regime a reason to subjugate people to more economical hardship. Furthermore, they will try to explain the unrelenting rate of depression on sanctions. They will use what is remaining of government coffers to provide themselves with what is sanctioned, in black markets. Western government will pretend that they are punishing Iranian government, knowing well that sanctions have never worked. People will be more pressured and they will lose their revolutionary fervor as they concentrate on providing basic necessities for themselves. The only positive effect imagined is a probable cut on importing of unessential commodities currently in the hands of government agencies or their allies. However, western powers would not stop the benefit of receiving natural resources in exchange for their consuming commodities. Sanction will only be on people's basic commodities and will hurt families, a toothless measure.
• Israeli government is planning to attack Iran with the pretence that a nuclear mullah is dangerous. Notwithstanding that Israel is equally a large threat to global peace, a war in the region could help Israel to continue its expansion nonstop. Israel knows that it will win any war since the latest weaponry produced in the US is sent to Israel to test on Arabs, and in the case of an expanded war, on everyone in the Middle East. Israel also knows that the warmonger Iranian government will respond any attack on Iranian soil. As Khomeini said once, war is a blessing! Iranian government is not too worried about an Israeli attack. Since the goverment is trapped in its domestic problems with the uprising, a war would really be a blessing. Therefore, Ahmadi Nejad travels to New York in order to intimidate other nations. To realize what war will bring, everyone should see the disasters caused by the US government and its allies in Afghanistan and in Iraq. A BBC producer by the name of Adam Curtis has produced several films for BBC researching the reasons and aftermath of these wars. One of his works titled “The Power of Nightmares” examines Neo-cons and their handling of these wars. It can be viewed on the following link:
http://www.archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares
Another film shows all the atrocities of the US government and its allies in Iraq, starting with an examination of Christianity as the ally of Neocons in rendering their project, called "Zeitgeist" via the following link:
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
Finally, another interesting film titled “New American Century” examines this same subject, at the following link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3776750618788792499#
• The revolution of 1979 was one of the bloodiest social movements in Iran. Most of the people who lost their lives were executed after the revolution! Killings started by getting revenge and continued with eliminating opponents outside of the regime, and when there was no one left to oppose the dictatorship, eradicating the opposition inside the regime. Mujahedin were the only organization that picked up arms against the regime to check its tolerance, and lost. Iranian regime has high tolerance for blood. Categorical executions (and sometimes without any reason such as the killing of five last week) has brought the regime to a traumatized and senseless posture of defence, who attacks everyone on site, like a mad predator. Arm struggle is not possible with such a brutal despot, as it has been tried before, just mentioned. The best way in such an environment is maintaining peaceful protests. Success of the Green Movement is mostly due to its calculated tactics. This movement has amazed the world. Although such tactics will be costly and lengthy, victory is the natural conclusion regardless. The following link is the interview of Hamid Dabbashi with Cornell West about the green movement and Iranian people's struggle. His interview with Stephen Kinser is also on the same page: https://www.weekingreen.org/view_video?id=132
.................RATIONAL THINKING.................. مرا جهل در کامِ دیو میبَرَد.............از آن دوستی میکنم با خِرَد
