"With words we govern men" – Disraeli
Alexey Sazonov's column
Alienating Iran
The way most of the European nations have approached Iran’s participation in the UN’s anti-racism program is not the best way to better relations with one of the most powerful Middle Eastern states since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Listening to what Iran has to say may be beneficial in strengthening ties, and possible future partnerships with Tehran. The fact that Iran takes a strong anti-Israeli approach should not be the sole factor that decides whether or not Europeans should attend a conference aimed at bringing the world together. Instead of breaking the boundaries of race, world leaders have once again deepened the divide.
The World Should Listen
The only European country that truly has no option but to side with Israel is Germany. At any point, Israel may pull their trump card and blast Germany for going in the direction that the “Fuehrer” would’ve gone. The rest of Europe, however, is siding not necessarily with Israel, but with the United States, and the US’ position on Israel is well-known. Washington will support Israel no matter what, because of a strong Israeli lobby, and old ties with the Jewish state. However, although Israel is trying to protect its interests, its refusal to even try and talk about differences between Tehran and Tel-Aviv brings about a stalemate that would entail no results in the near future.
It is in Europe’s best interests to develop a partner in the Middle East. Iran is a rich nation with a lot of potential, and is in a good strategic position to increase Europe’s might as a rising world power. The conference against racism is not about racism at all, it is to specifically define what everyone individually is interested in with regard to the Middle East, and specifically Iran. It is evident that the EU is still not strong enough to hold their own opinion that would publically be in conflict with the US position on the issue of Iran. The US is siding with Israel regardless of whether they are right or wrong. Iran is not going to back down from their previous position on any issue, because they want to become the face of the Arab world, and backing down on any issue would be a sign of weakness on their part.
The world community should listen to what Iran has to say. Of course, radical remarks such as destroying Israel and other such comments should simply not be taken seriously. Nevertheless, listening does not mean supporting. If Iran feels alienated, it will further develop a stance countercyclical to Western interests. At least listening will help Iran feel like it is treated as an equal, and soften it up to criticisms and cooperation.
It’s Not All About Iran
One of the most important things that the world seems to have forgotten is that there are other racial issues in the world besides Israel. It is important to note that Israel should not receive such attention from the world community, because it leaves out other issues, and only bolsters Tel-Aviv’s ego. There are racial issues in Africa, Europe, and America. Asia is seeing its share of racism. Why are these issues pushed out of the spotlight by a state that is smaller than most other states faced with racial difficulties?
This only deepens the divide among nations, and weakens the role that the EU, US, and other leaders may be able to play in solving at least some racial differences. What about Sri Lanka? Have they been forgotten as well? It is a racial struggle that has raged on since the 1970’s. The U.N. has not addressed the issue of possibly solving racial differences there at all. Yet, Israeli-Iranian differences are viewed as more important.
It is extremely sad to see large world powers using Iran as a deterrent. France has acute racial issues. Not surprisingly, it was among the first conference members to walk out. The US walked out right away in support of Israel - Israel, that consistently states that it wants peace, but obviously wants peaceful tensions. The Israeli Defense Force does need to have a purpose. In addition, Israeli weapons production needs to be demanded as well, and the only way for that to happen is to a have a purpose to develop new weapons and improvements.
Conclusion
Alienating Iran is nothing more than a deterrent, a way to escape facing criticism by many states. It is to avoid being called out on internal racial issues that would otherwise bring to the surface that which has been hidden away for so long and not talked about, so as to keep a strong leadership position. Iran needs to be welcomed as another power, and has to be treated as an equal. States that have a comfortable status quo right now would not want to welcome a “freshman” into their ranks. That would mean sharing power – not something most states are comfortable with. Iran has to remain defiant, and not to bend to pressures from the West in order to solidify its position in the world arena.
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