Iran and Israel

Disclaimer: I begin this blog by noting that I am no student of the Middle East. I am not an international relations expert. Rather, what follows below is my interpretation of current events seen through the eyes of an American citizen. I freely confess that as a US citizen and member of the Western world I have my own biases. In no way do I pretend to be objective, though I try to be fair and logical in my reasoning.

I have followed with great interest the developing story of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's inane and dangerous comments about the state of Israel. I won't restate all of what he said, but one comment struck me as being particularly naive. Paraphrased, he said, "a new wave of confrontations generated in Palestine and the growing turmoil in the Islamic world will in no time wipe Israel away." Such a comment comes off as very junior-highish; words out of the mouth of a bully hoping to intimidate the new kid at school. One thing I've noticed about bullies though (and yes, as a nerd I ran into my fair share of them as a kid) is that most of them are bullies because they are unsure of themselves. They have such a low level of self-esteem that they have to actively and aggressively tear other people down to build themselves up. This results in their finding strength and self-confidence not from inner fortitude but outward acceptance by their (fearful) peers. Paradoxically then, the bully is dependent on those whom he (or she) picks on, for without their acceptance of him as top dog, the bully is a nobody.

I really sense that many in the Iranian government and its shadow government (the theocratic wanna-be dictatorship of the Ayatollahs) are bullies. They are bullies because they believe that they have no other way to earn the world's respect. They pick on Israel to make themselves look good in the Arab world. This is despite the fact that the Iranian culture is Persian, not Arabic. This is despite the fact that Iran fought a long and bloody war with an Arabic regime. It was Iraq under Saddam Hussein who used chemical weapons against the Iranians. Now, however, many Iranian religious and political leaders wish to align themselves with the Islamic fascist states of the Middle East. They have adopted the strategy of banding together to fight a common enemy: Israel and its best friend, the United States. The Iranian leadership figures that a common hatred for an enemy is the quickest way to win respect among its neighbors.

The problem for Iran is that it has chosen to make friends with countries that are largely impotent on the world stage. Religious extremism in many Arabic countries has curtailed the abilities of those governments to act ethically and responsibly (Saudia Arabia being a prime example). Ironically, one Arabic country that managed to handle religious extremists was the government of Saddam Hussein. However, he did so only by ruling with a bloody iron fist that denied his people most of the civil liberties that we in the free world take for granted. On the other hand, those Middle Eastern pseudo-democratic governments, who like Saudi Arabia, have tried to be accomodating of religious extremists now teeter at the brink of disaster. They are well on their way to becoming theocratic empires ruled by the Imams and religious police of radical Islam. In the end then, Iran has alligned itself with impotent states and terrorist factions.

Unfortunately for Iran, Israel has a history of swiftly and efficiently dealing with threats from bullies anxious to look good. Israelis are not ones to cower in fear; they are not a pimply, goggle-eyed seventh-grade boy afraid to raise his fists against the big ol' eighth-grade bully. If Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons and continues to adopt a posture of hatred toward Israel, I would not be surprised to see Israel take proactive action against the Iranian goverment. I forsee waking up one day and checking the news to find out that Israeli fighter jets and bombers have flown over Iran and destroyed key nuclear and military sites.

Now, I certainly hope that such a scenario never comes to pass. I am encouraged by the press releases of the Iranian foreign ministry that try to diffuse the extremist words of their president. I am hopeful that there remains in power those who understand that diplomacy wins out over force. I am hopeful that many Iranians recognize that the way to true acceptance by their global peers is to become a peaceful, non-belligerent country where extremism of any sort is not tolerated. I am hopeful that the citizens of Iran have the courage to overcome the propoganda of their own government and religious leaders and discover that a peace-loving, semi-democratic state is possible in the Muslim world.