The Daily Star,
Lebanon
U.S. and Iran Hardliners 'Sharpen Their Knives'
EDITORIAL
September 26, 2006
Lebanon - The Daily Star - Original
Article (English) 
Although both U.S. President George W. Bush and Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have in recent days shown a greater willingness to pursue
the path of negotiation, the potential for a showdown between the two states
remains as high as ever. Animosity and mistrust between Iran and the United States runs deep, and
Tehran's apprehensions became even more pronounced after the Bush Administration
branded Iran part of an "axis of evil." Iranians are understandably
worried about the Bush Administration's intentions, especially in light of its
doctrine of pre-emptive war, the deadly and destabilizing effects of which they
have witnessed in neighboring Afghanistan and Iraq.
But
behind the outward expressions of accommodation of the two leaders in regard
to Iran's nuclear program, there remain powerful and influential individuals on
both sides who are sharpening their knives and arming their missiles.
Regardless of developments on the negotiation track, these individuals are
likely to remain wedded to their distorted ideological world views. Just as
some Iranian officials will always consider America the "Great
Satan," some U.S. officials will refuse to see Iran as anything other than
an "evil" regime. For these individuals, the current show of
moderation is only a necessary formality that must be pursued in order to later
demonstrate that they have exhausted all other options.
Hard-line
views on both sides threaten to drag Iran and the United States into war,
despite the fact that neither side could possibly achieve any of its end goals through
conflict. It's unreasonable to expect that Iran would endure a
"surgical" strike on one of its nuclear facilities without responding
by way of its tentacles spread across the globe. Any attack is likely to
escalate into an ugly asymmetric war that dramatically alters life as we know
it - and not for the better.
War is
still avoidable if the voices of moderation prevail. At the center of the
dispute over Iran's nuclear program is the issue of mutual recognition. Iran
has an interest in asserting its role as a regional power, just as the U.S. is
trying to assert its power in the region. The two states could easily form a
mutual understanding based upon shared interests. Both sides would need to show
a willingness to be more accommodating on a wide range of political issues.
The United
States, for example, can't expect to gain Iran's cooperation and recognition
without a substantive change in its regional policy, particularly on the issues
of unqualified support for Israel and reluctance to press for the creation of a
Palestinian state. Likewise, Iran can't expect to gain American recognition
without abandoning its aggressive stance toward Israel.
Any
agreement between Iran and the United States would necessarily involve a
considerable amount of compromise. Given the choice - between mutual recognition
and mutual destruction - such an effort would be well worth it.
VIDEO FROM IRAN: KUWAITI LAWMAKER
DOUBTS
IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM FOR ENERGY PURPOSES
AL-JAZEERA TV, QATAR: Excerpts from an interview with Kuwaiti Member of Parliament, Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabai, August 30, 00:02:47, Via MEMRI
"Iran has oil and gas reserves that will last it for dozens, if not hundreds, of years. I don't think it's true that this project is for energy purposes."
Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabai, Kuwaiti Lawmaker
