The day has arrived! Congress is back from one of its endless month long vacations and they are ready to work (snark snark)……and high on the agenda is the Iran Deal that has been all the rage for about 4 months.
The prez has his veto proof but he still needs more senators to join him to keep the anti-deal bill from coming up for a vote. The Israelis and their front man, AIPAC, will be working overtime and spending lots of cash to bribe the senators into opposing the deal in all its forms…..let the fun begin!
I have people I know that oppose the nuke deal with Iran…..one of their reasons is the placards they have seen at protests on TV that read….”Death To America”……they use this to illustrate Iran is not untrustworthy and their hatred for the US. I point out that the people leading those protests are the same people that stormed in the embassy in 1979 or what could be called the “Old Guard”. And like most people I know they do not want to hear the possibility that the ‘dislike’ could be well founded. I also try to point out that Saddam had a massive following at rallies but that was short lived when people did not have to show up……the same in Iran.
Okay it is time for the history lesson you knew was coming, right?
Since WW1 Iran was occupied by foreign forces……at this time by Russia, British and Ottoman…….after the war came a wide range of governments most of whom were basically ineffective……in 1935 Persia officially changes its name to that of Iran….then in 1941 Iran became pro-Axis in World War II leads to the Anglo-Russian occupation of Iran and the deposition of the Shah in favor of his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi……..in 1950 a man named Ali Razmara becomes prime minister and is assassinated less than nine months later. He is succeeded by the nationalist, Mohammad Mossadeq and this is where the events really turn against the US….
In 1951, Parliament votes to nationalize the oil industry, which is dominated by the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Britain imposes an embargo and a blockade, halting oil exports and hitting the economy. A power struggle between the Shah and Mossadeq ensues and the Shah flees the country in August 1953.
Big oil took exception to the move to nationalization and in 1953 Mossadeq is overthrown in a coup engineered by the British and American intelligence services. General Fazlollah Zahedi is proclaimed as prime minister and the Shah returns. (strike one)
In 1963 was a major turning point in the rule of the shah……The Shah embarks on a campaign to modernize and westernize the country. He launches the ‘White Revolution’, a program of land reform and social and economic modernization. During the late 1960’s the Shah became increasingly dependent on the secret police (SAVAK) in controlling those opposition movements critical of his reforms.
The secret police became a unit of oppression of the Iranian people and the US was heavily invested in the group……with training and support….(strike two)
Iranian society continued to deteriorate and become more and more oppressive until 1978……The Shah’s policies alienate the clergy and his authoritarian rule leads to riots, strikes and mass demonstrations. Martial law is imposed. America was viewed as the master of the shah and his oppressive ways. (Strike three)
Until finally in1979……..The Islamic fundamentalist, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, returns to Iran following 14 years of exile in Iraq and France for opposing the regime. Islamic militants take 52 Americans hostage inside the US embassy in Tehran. They demand the extradition of the Shah, in the US at the time for medical treatment, to face trial in Iran.
And so the hatred begins in earnest.
I wish this was the end of the story ….but nope just about the middle of said tale……
Now enter Saddam and Iraq…….in 1980 the start of Iran-Iraq war which lasts for eight years. During the war years the US is a major benefactor of Saddam to the tune of billions of dollars for supplies and aid and after years of blood shed the war comes to an end……1988 – Iran accepts a ceasefire agreement with Iraq following negotiations in Geneva under the aegis of the UN.
This is where my history lesson of modern Iran ends (a simple and short history at that)…….it is fairly easy to see why from an Iranian point of view that the US has had its hand in trying to control the destiny of the country and its people…..keep in mind that there are relatively few middle aged Iranians, especially men, because so many had been sacrificed during the 8 years of war with Iraq…….about one million Iranians died fighting Iraq.
It is understandable that the Old Guard recalls the US involvement in their country and still resent us for that interference…..as Americans still resent Iranians for the taking of the hostages in 1979…..
I know this post will change few minds about Iran…..all I hoped to accomplish was to illustrate how the older Iranians see America………
The question was asked and now it has been answered……may not be the answer that some would have wanted…..but it does explain the dislike for the US…….probably will not change any minds but I did what I always do…..try to help people understand a complex issue.
Turn The Page!
Other than by the size of DC traffic jams, can anybody actually tell the difference between when US Congress is in session or on vacation??? These guys accomplish virtually nothing anymore. Hell, even when they do, you can hardly call it an “accomplishment”.
Not to nit-pick, but in your excellent Iranian-American re-cap, you forgot one very important contextual point regarding The Iran-Iraq War. While Donnie Rumsfeld was shaking Saddam’s hand and giving him US helicopters to fly over Kurdish villages and make “special deliveries”, Ronnie Raygun & the boys:
– gave Saddam satellite photos of Iranian troop movements. In reality, they were more often just “human wave” attacks were tens of thousands of “surplus males” were handed pistols and sticks and told to run across minefields toward Iraqi positions. Americans also advised Saddam on how to handle them. (Psst, chemical & biological weapons..which they just happened to have in the back of their trunk.)
– broke their own policy and a G7 weapons embargo they pushed for to sell weapons to Iraq…and also some of the most radical elements inside the Iranian government.
– broke their own daily stated policy of “not negotiating with hostage takers” by using their new business relationship with the former occupiers of their embassy to negotiate the release of Western hostages in Lebanon.
– used the profits of said weapons deals to illegally fund terrorists in Nicaragua…and line some of their own pockets.
It’s also worth noting that, on both sides, so many players from those days continue/d to walk their respective halls of power for decades since. Despite belonging in prisons, most rose up the ranks of power in their respective nations. (ie Rummy, a fossilized Kissinger) Kissinger famously quipped “It’s a pity that both sides can’t lose.” Which basically tells you all you need to know about America’s attitude to the region. Oddly enough, people tend to resent it when you joke about hoping their nations would be wiped off the map, especially when that the map of their nations is getting violently redrawn and a million or so people are getting killed. Funny -eh?
This duplicity, this hypocrisy, this complete lack of trustworthiness, the willingness to engage in any behaviour for short term gain….Well colour me shocked if Iran and, for that matter, the rest of the world develops a hate-on for America!
Shit, even America hates America…and understandably so.
Americans are silly because they cannot grasp the fact that history does play a part in all this drama….and I believce you are correct…..there are those that hate America even though they are Americans…..because it will not conform to their limited vision of what a country should be…..our elections prove just how much some of them hate….chuq
It’s that short-term thinking thing again. It gets us every time.
Our culture is (deliberately) obsessed with the now; the new, the young, the trendy, the immediate gratification. It doesn’t matter how important something actually is. It means NOTHING to our culture unless it’s “trending”.
We are a culture of imbeciles with the attention span of goldfish. (Oh, yeah. That link again)
news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadians-now-have-shorter-attention-span-than-goldfish-thanks-to-portable-devices-microsoft-study
What we really need to do is give Iran everything She wants (We have made a good start with the so-called Iran Nuclear Agreement) and then lift all sanctions across the board, start showing empathy toward the poor misunderstood oppressed peoples who would prefer a cushy life at the expense of the American Taxpayer than at the demanding hands of their Mullahs, sell a few thousand tanks, bombs and jet fighters to the Ayatollah and finance the start up of a few Bomb-shelter-building industries here in the United States.
If we did these things the Iranian Crisis would simply go away and we could all live in Peace and Happiness all the rest of our days.
I know that if we did all these things Iran would stop the business of exporting terror to the rest of the world and the World Caliphate would abandon all ambitions for hijrah.
Yes — We need more understanding and empathy and cooperation and accommodation.
That would be the “Christian” thing to do and maybe if we did those things, some of those folks could see just how good “Christianity” can be and they would embrace us with open arms instead of with unzipped flys.
Sorry John but that is what will keep us ass deep in conflict that will eventually cost more American lives…..hatred does nothing to end this conflict…..if anything it is more fuel for the fire.
Why will not Americans acknowledge that our meddling may have cause everything from 1979 onward…..please note I say may have caused……ignoring history is what gets us in all these situations that the M-IC can exploit and profit….
Ass deep in conflict is where some of our high muckety-mucks want to keep us because there are millions of dollars to be made on each drop of American Blood spilled.
Hatred does nothing to end this conflict or any conflict for that matter. Imagine how much better off we would have been if we had made love to our enemies during WWII rather than dropping bombs on them.
Oh! I forget sometimes — that was different!
I am speaking about people who want to
educate….of course hatred played a part in WW2 it also made a lot of money for contractors….typical American way.
Admitting their meddling is the source of many of their problems is one thing that the American Empire just absolutely refuses to do.
Just like some stereotypical, controlling, Jewish (ironically appropriate) mother-in-law, America thinks it has to meddle/control everything. Why does America stick their nose into everybody’s business? Because they can and nobody is going to stop them. It’s so overt & expected for the US gov’t to meddle in the lives of other nations, ordinary people have adopted this practice as “normal”. (see Loserbook, surveillance cameras, etc) The justification? “Because I can & nobody can stop me.” The fish rots from the head down.
“Because I can” is a horrible justification for anything, especially when you’re doing it for your own self-gratification. Does a restaurant really need to spy on its customers while they eat? Do you really need to post a Loserbook message telling cousin Tessie what Lorna said about her at the party she wasn’t invited to? Does America need to fund terrorists, launch drones strikes, spy on friends, or assassinate foreign leaders? And just what are they expecting in return? A “Thank You For Fucking Up Our Shit” card? Actions have consequences.
Like any other meddler, America refuses to admit that their meddling causes problems for everyone. And how do they respond to the problems they’ve caused? With more meddling, which causes more problems for them to solve….with more meddling!
It’s one thing to be asked for help. It one thing to negotiate. It’s another to abuse one’s power to bully and manipulate others for their own gain. The American Empire needs to learn that, or it will always be hated and it will never live in peace.
The whole idea of American exceptionalism has always been a problem…..the problem is average Joe buys into this thanx to success in WW2 and we feel that we must do it all to everybody….
” Imagine how much better off we would have been if we had made love to our enemies during WWII rather than dropping bombs on them…Oh! I forget sometimes — that was different!” -AmericanLiberalTimes
Well, it was different. Japan decided it was going to meddle in Hawaiian affairs. Unpleased with this meddling, America responded with “Summer Camps” for Japanese Americans and firebombing & nukes for the Japanese in Japan.
The difference in this case is that America could strike back and strike back harder than it was hit. The problem occurs when the victim of meddling cannot fight back. The resentment & anger builds, especially when it sees the meddler living it up from a safe distance while the meddling victims are stuck in a hopeless shithole. They sit around with nothing else to do but have delusional fantasies about getting even and all the great things they’ll do (caliphates, etc) once they finally do get even. Victims have much longer memories than the meddlers do.
Me? Back in WW2, America could have saved millions of lives & billions of dollars by dropping me into Japan instead of bombs. I’d have made so much love to those Tokyo Roses, I’d have been a one-man Peace Bukkake!
Thanks, Chuq!