On
A Potential War With
And Propaganda About Iran
By Vahab
12 June,
2008
Countercurrents.org
Invasion of Iran by a US military
force is possibly imminent. Likely many people cannot fully grasp
the extreme devastation that such a horrifically brutal attack could
bring, especially as mainstream media often covers up much of this
sort of news -- news involving shocking vivid portrayals of ruin and
torment.
In a very short time, say in three days, the infrastructure of Iran
would be shattered, probably much more so than the initial outcome
that happened in Iraq. In addition, there would exist absolute chaos.
Tehran, with nearly a twelve million population, would probably be
a bloody mess -- scorched, beaten, humiliated, stripped of its human
dignity and, to provide a comparative analysis, I'll add that NYC
had an estimated population of approximately eight and a quarter million
residents in 2006. In other words, bombing by air or invading Tehran
on the ground is analogous to doing the same to Manhattan almost one
and a half times over in terms of the tragic human toll.
I, myself, know a bit about this sort of human toll as I have lived
in Tehran since the start of Iran-Iraq war. On account, I, for eight
years, witnessed bombs and rockets falling on crowded locations and
heard the sound of explosions around twice a day for many days in
a row.
With each air attack alarm, everybody felt distraught and wondered
if it were his/her family's turn to be killed under the Iraqi (America
made) bombs. Obviously, everyone was beside him or herself and barely
able to function under the circumstances. How could conditions be
otherwise?
Yet, that
war was child's play compared to the ruinous outcomes in any sort
of assault from America, which is, I repeat, perhaps imminent. (In
any case, Bush has promised that! For example, he stated, "This
notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply
ridiculous. And having said that, all options are on the table."
At the same time, results of a Zogby poll, taken last year, indicate
that fully fifty-two percent of Americans want to bomb Iran.)
This stated, there would be utter torture, misery and terror for years
to come as a result, especially if nuclear bombs were used in the
event that some leader or other were to get out of control. Could
one?
In any case, the entire Middle East would be in utter turmoil were
outright warfare, rather than small skirmishes, to include Iran. Aside
from the repercussions due to oil disruption, millions of innocent
civilians could be killed and maimed during which time Iran would
be in complete shambles. In addition, it would be in ruin for years
to come -- just as are Iraq and Afghanistan now, and which has resulted
in millions of their population fleeing to other countries so as to
strain their resources, schools, job market, housing and so on.
Furthermore, Iranians, practically all of us, would fight back, even
with a shattered infrastructure and paralyzed military power. Citizens'
defense of their nations and countrymen, as can be seen from current
reactions in other lands, doesn't even have to happen in typical ways.
At the same time, it is clear that Western countries would not be
"safe" after raiding Iran as there would be direct retaliations
in scale and kind, a dramatic rise in gas prices and other repercussions
too ugly to even mention.
All considered, one can conclude that some American administrators
seem not to learn from history or present happenings wherein it becomes
clear that overrunning an entire nation is simply impossible. Can't
it be clearly seen in Iraq, for example? Can one really call it a
victory, as Bush announced when he said "mission accomplished?"
What does those words really mean relative to actual events that drag
on and on and onward for years on end?
In any case, the backlash in Iran could deeply harm the United States
of America and any other country that helps it if its government,
too, were to invade. As suggested, a conquered nation has its own
unconventional ways to oppose aggressors and the real, full scale
war starts after a nation is initially crushed. This is because war
is not just between governments. As such, this would be a war of Iran's
whole NATION of people and all others who'd have the gall to aggress
against us.
So under these deeply perilous circumstances, what do you think we,
in Iran, should do? Should we firmly stand against those who would
attack us or "go after" our own leadership, which we need
to support (even if quite reluctantly) during this time of threat
of violence from other countries? Which course is the lesser of the
two evils?
On another
note, there is no "either/or " occurrence in social phenomena,
for the most part. However, I appreciate and understand anyone's anger
over religious fanaticism and mistreatment of women as is promoted
by certain factions of my country's government and other leaders in
Iran. Indeed, I don't hate both types of wrong any less than many
others do. However, there are so many "buts" and other contingencies.
As such, most occurrences are neither totally black, nor purely white.
On account, we, in Iran, need to support our government, even though
it is destructive and undesirable in some ways (as is America's, which
many Americans ratify even though it is, likewise, so). Especially
we must do so while a bigger problem looms near to our doorstep...
Unfortunately, my country is surrounded by many hostile forces in
contention with it. Then there are the greedy forces, too. Our oil
and gas are a bit too attractive and it is the real reason prompting
some, although not all of the ones, who want to pick a fight.
Supposing I have some sort of choice on the way to react in this looming
situation of war: Would anyone think I should take a casual stance,
a ho-hum cavalier outlook, while the lives of millions of Iranians
are at risk? Should I just be at ease because some people, secure
and contented in their cozy corner of the world, consider my real
concern that war could breakout in my country paranoid on my part?
What if there is only a five percent chance that this new war should
happen? Under the circumstances, should I back my government, which
will stand up for me and my fellow citizens, or not? What makes anyone
sure that certain US leaders are loathe to occupy my country out of
concern for the response from a timid US Congress or the general public?
How many from the latter group, to date, seems largely apathetic to
their country's ongoing military combat taking place in other lands?
Would they get out in the streets and march in protest if Iran were
added to the invasion list?
At the same time does anyone know what can make a majority of Americans
shift 180 degrees? Perhaps it is a false red flag to shatter their
feeling of security, to make them feel that they will lose their comfortable
way of life. It doesn't even need to be as big as the September eleventh
happening, and this is because the mainstream media in many Western
countries has done the damage already. It has done so by creating
a sense of danger in people's minds.
In short, it has demonized Iranians as much as could be done. Its
writers have mobilized Western women already, especially feminists,
thanks to boorish masculine ideology on the part of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
and a few other prominent figures. They, also, made us look positively
hungry for a fight with Israel and rabidly hateful of all Jews despite
that our own Jewish citizens are quite free from attack and prefer
to live here in harmony rather than in Israel. Imagine that!
In any case, I am sure that many people, other than whatever they
gained through deliberate propaganda, don't know much about Iranians.
They probably imagine Iranian women sitting in their homes, covering
themselves like Saudi Arab women (favorite friends of America) while
beaten and humiliated by men. Maybe they don't even know that we are
not Arabs. Indeed, I am sure that the majority of Americans don't
know that or that not all of us unswervingly support the Moslem faith.
All the same, the nasty mainstream media have made sure to lambaste
Ahmadinejad and our way of life, not because news writers care for
Iranian women and the manner in which we chose to exist, but because
they have to make a very nasty monster of somebody who is easy enough
to use to affect the lethargic minds of certain Western people. Doing
so, of course, helps get the public supportive of "all options
[being] on the table," just as the threat of weapons of mass
destruction had done for Iraq in the past. What a way to keep the
war drums beating ever more loudly!
In addition, we will not be attacked, if it does come to pass, in
any sort of slow build up towards war. As such, there are two main
scenarios, it would seem, for an invasion of Iran.
One is a conventional battle starting somehow and going on for years.
In this scenario, Iran would fight back, Israel would maybe receive
missiles, Lebanon and probably Syria would likely attack Israel, many
American soldiers would be captured by Iranian and the immediate global
energy crisis will be disastrous to say the least. In brief, it could
lead to something akin to the beginnings of a WW III crisis, and the
whole world would be in a terrible mess.
On account, the alternative, a sort of "Shock and Awe" solution,
seems perhaps more feasible to take place if our country is "brought
to heel." So it would, hypothetically, involve a secret rapid
air strike, targeting major sites in Iran, practically all major areas
in my country, with the upshot being their rapid and total obliteration.
Moreover, this course is the only way to paralyze Iran from forcefully
fighting back. Even so, it, like any other sort of incursion, would
lead to great strife throughout the Middle East -- one involving several
nations. At the same time, it would generate repercussions around
the world relative to oil deliveries, further contention amongst other
nations and some major decisions in alignments amongst various countries
like Russia, China, US, Venezuela, Great Britain and others.
Now, do you think Bom-Bom McCain would be upset were this sort of
offensive to occur *? Do you think that most of the American public
would care either way? Do they even now care about the Iraqi people
-- people already in deep, barely manageable pain?
In an analogous vein, do American feminists care about Iraqi women
and girls being forced into prostitution as a direct result of invasion
in the name of an American type of democracy? Is there real concern
whatsoever? If so, why have they not risen up en masse over this issue
rather than discuss ad infinitum the general repression of Moslem
women?
All considered, Iranian women say: "No thanks, we don't need
your democracy. We are witnessing it already in Iraq. We can see the
situation of Iraqi women. We prefer to support our disagreeable President
with his silly obnoxious views on women's place in life."
Largely educated, these Iranian women, also, realize that subjugation
of women is a global dilemma, part of a bigger problem -- that of
universal human oppression, which often is supported by administrations
of Western "civilized" countries, as well as silently supported
by their peoples, who do not speak up. So if some individual were
truly worried about suppression of women, that person should try to
solve the bigger problem, the root problem, which surfaces in many
societies all across the globe, rather than look to Middle Eastern
women as the be all and end all of tyrannical domination.
At the same time, many Americans have not been able to accept that
they have been fooled, lied to and misinformed about the reason that
their country engaged in warfare in Iraq. Analogously, they could
right now be starting to fall in the same old trap: The trap is one
of castigating a leader, such as Saddam or mine, a country, a religion
and a way of life so as to make them all appear evil, illiterate,
wild, barbaric, ugly and even threatening.
This stated, I'll add that I am so sorry that this unpleasant Ahmadinejad
and his fanatic religious friends made it easy for the American administration
to affect American minds so that our country and its people are viewed
as terrible. Why, though, can't the masses see this as a method to
prepare the ground for nasty actions against us? I'll add, just as
ignorant Saddam made it easy for an excuse to be fabricated to invade
Iraq, so doesn't my country's President offer the same -- except that
mine refuses to be caught off guard.
In the
end, I apologize to any readers if any of these opinions seem insulting.
They are not meant to be so. At the same time, I do know that there
resides, in the US and elsewhere in the world, a dedicated minority
of peace seekers and human rights advocates -- people who are truly
humane and ethical.
It is fortunate that they exist as these are the ones on whom I count
to make the world right, including in the prevention of war, more
than any others, especially any disliked governmental leaders who
come and go. Furthermore, I know they they are the people who understand
well that compassionate, moral and outreaching people, assuredly,
are present everywhere across the globe -- even in Iran!
On account, they are the first to be truthful about the state of affairs
in and value the people of my country. They, also, remind me of Nelson
Mandela's words, "As I have said, the first thing is to be honest
with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have
not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity,
of honesty, but humility." Indeed, this thought and way to be
provides hope for us all!
* What does this say about his capacity to make good versus poor judgements
when a potential leader of a powerful country imagines that it is
comical to sing a crude ditty condoning slaughter? What sort of sound
assessments would such a person be capable to apply in his role of
Presidential leader? What sort of values and principles does he exemplify
when he shows that he thinks that it is an amusing clever joke, rather
than a serious problem, to casually murder people, including innocent
children and elderly civilians, which would assuredly happen if bombs
are dropped? All the same, John McCain, obviously, delights in such
an outrageous tragic vision: YouTube - Bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg
and YouTube - McCain laughs, Sings Bomb Iran (www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAzBxFaio1I).
Vahab is a person interested in environmental and
humanitarian affairs. He has lived most of his life in Iran.
