The Islamic State: 'Promoting World Peace' (Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland)
"Nevertheless,
the long and painful negotiations that concluded earlier this month are likely
to change the balance of power in the Middle East - in favor of the Iranian
state. While that much is certain, it doesn't necessarily mean that all other
parties will lose. … The Islamic State is the common enemy of the U.S., Iran,
Israel and Saudi Arabia. Now they all have a chance to set old animosities
aside in the name of fighting jihad. If that were to happen, historians would
have to give some credit to the caliphate for promoting world peace. One can
always dream."
The nuclear agreement
with Iran will change the Middle East.
The vision of an Iranian nuclear attack, once so graphically
depicted by the Israeli prime minister with a cartoon drawing of a bomb with a
lit fuse, has vanished into the mist after the signing of the nuclear agreement
on July 14. In its place is a new bogeyman: Iran as hegemon. It is brandished
mostly by American supporters of military operations on other continents as
well as Israel's occupiers of Palestinian lands and Arab dictatorships. In
their view, an Iran freed of economic sanctions will intensify its support for its
allies in the region: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Lebanese Hezbullah,
Palestinian Hamas and rebel Houthis in Yemen. It just so happens that like Iran
itself - these actors are not on good terms with the West and its friends.
These fears are exaggerated, as Iran will not suddenly
receive a huge injection of cash. Lifting the sanctions, which depends on the
implementation by the Iranian side of the terms of the agreement, will take
years. The embargo on arms sales to Iran (which Russia lobbied to abolish up to
the last minute) will last at least until 2023. The only sanctions in question
are those imposed on Iran for its nuclear program, because retaliation for
Tehran's other transgressions was not negotiated and remain in force.
Nevertheless, the long and painful negotiations that
concluded earlier this month are likely to change the balance of power in the
Middle East - in favor of the Iranian state. While that much is certain, it
doesn't necessarily mean that all other parties will lose.
This doesn't reflect imbalance, but rather its restoration.
After the Islamic Revolution, the role played by Iran became disproportionately
small given it political stature and ambition. In terms of diplomacy, the mere signing
of an agreement with the world powers after decades of ostracism moves Iran a
few rungs up the ladder.
Concerns about hegemony, however, have some basis. That's
why Iran would have wanted nuclear weapons - not to attack anyone, but to
regain its position of influence. There are important Iranian politicians who
dream of rebuilding the Persian Empire, reuniting the region's Shiites under
the leadership of Tehran and liberating Jerusalem in anticipation of the 12th Imam - savior
of the mankind [aka/the Mahdi]. For Sunnis this constitutes a challenge. It should be
emphasized, however, that this is not a purely religious conflict. The
divisions within Islam are used by governments as instruments to cover for political nationalism, as in the past Christianity or communism were used to conquer the world. It isn't a struggle between good and evil - the Sunni monarchies are
even more undemocratic and corrupt than Iran. The difference is that in Iran
the ritual chants of "Death to America," "Death to Israel"
can still be heard.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Is it time to prepare ourselves for the Muslim messiah/aka the Mahdi - along with Jesus Christ, who it appears will be...
The agreement with American doesn't mean that revolutionary
rhetoric will subside overnight, but there is hope that Iran will now focus on what's
most important: the reconstruction of its economy. Despite appearances, the
policy pursued by the ayatollahs is far from insane, but is based on a careful
analysis of profit and loss for the regime.
The breakthrough in relations between Iran and the West would
not likely have happened had it not been for the major changes taking place in
the region: the aggression of the Islamic State and the destruction of a nearly
century-old order established by the European powers after the fall of the
Ottoman Empire. Barack Obama has acknowledged that the war against jihad
requires the support of the ayatollahs, which is why he so desperately sought
an agreement. By allowing Iran to strengthen its position (and by reestablishing
relations with Cuba), Obama departed from the "axis of evil" philosophy
of the Bush presidency and showed America’s traditional allies that the cards
aren't dealt once and for all.
The Islamic State is the common enemy of the U.S., Iran,
Israel and Saudi Arabia. Now they all have a chance to set old animosities
aside in the name of fighting jihad. If that were to happen, historians would
have to give some credit to the caliphate for promoting world peace. One can
always dream.
