Since the Iranian Islamic revolution in 1979, the United States and Iran have had no diplomatic foreign relations. Prior to the revolution, Iran was essentially one of America’s strongest allies in the Middle East. I have decided to do some research into key factors that led the United States and Iran to reverse course and become enemies instead of friends. Although the Islamic revolution was thirty years ago and is certainly a must as a starting point to better understand the current relationship between the two nation states, it is important to take a look at what Iran has become since the revolution and what direction the country is going towards the future. My write up will focus on how I feel the United States should best approach Iran with the goal of enhancing the relationship.
The 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran is known as an event that made Islamic fundamentalism a political force from Morocco to Malaysia. On February 1st, 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini arrived in Teheran from exile in France. Over five million Iranians lined the streets to welcome him home. The country had a new start, one without the much hated Mohammad Reza Shah, who fled the country two weeks prior to Ayatollah Khomeini’s homecoming. The 1979 revolution has been one of the most significant historical events in Iran. What brought about the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Shah’s government?
Most expert historians would say the 1979 Islamic Revolution was brought about because of unpopular actions of the Shah and the resulting mistakes and successes of different political forces. The Shah positioned Iran as a very close friend of the United States. He had a liberal policy towards westernization, a process whereby societies come under or adopt the western culture in a variety of manners. This did not go over very well with the overwhelming large Shi’a population in Iran. In addition, there was a sizeable amount of American advisors in Iran to offer assistance in managing the country. Many nationalistic Iranians considered the Shah to be nothing more than a puppet for the west. Another move the Shah made to upset Islamic traditionalists was the change from an Islamic calendar to an Imperial calendar. Instead of the first day being the flight of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, it was the birth of Cyrus. This was perceived by many as the Shah having a complete disregard for the religion of Islam. Unfortunately, the American policies that the Shah so faithfully abided helped create the Islamic Revolution. The 1953, a coup d’état by the CIA, left a sour taste in the eyes of the Iranian people as it related to undue American influence. By the end of the 1970’s, the American government was pressuring the Shah to liberalize the country. This eventually led to the American government underestimating or not reading accurately the goals of radicalism, specifically of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Another huge complaint of the Islamic Fundamentalists was the oppressive Shah government. Any potential opponent the Shah had was suppressed and marginalized, usually by the SAVAK. The SAVAK was the domestic security and intelligence service of Iran from 1957 to 1979. It has been described as Iran's "most hated and feared institution" prior to the revolution of 1979. It was associated with organizations such as the CIA, and was known for its brutal torture and execution of regime opponents. Many people believed that the SAVAK was violating the Iran Constitution of 1906.
Although the Shah left Iran’s economy on a positive side, it can be very misleading to an outside observer. The failure of his overambitious 1974 economic program involving oil left many Iranians dealing with extreme poverty. As in any sharp economic downfall, there followed a period of extreme economic growth. According to an expert scholar on the revolution, this scenario created more disappointment “than if people had been left in poverty all along.” The funds coming in from oil revenues were distributed unevenly. It was a scenario where the rich were able to become richer while the poor suffered even more than before.
A major oversight of the 1979 Islamic Revolution was the inability of the Shah to estimate the strength of the opposition. The specific religious opposition led by Ayatollah Khomeini. Even during the Ayatollah’s exile in Iraq and France, he was able to illegally smuggle recording tapes into Iran preaching against the Shah’s regime. As previously stated, the Shah’s close contact with the United States and his view of westernization led to Ayatollah Khomeini convincing the large Shi’a population that this was simply inappropriate within the bounds of Islam. After it became apparent the Shah would be overthrown, any attempt to reconcile the country of Iran came as too little too late.
Iran has a history of being involved in terrorist related events perhaps best illustrated by their involvement in Lebanon in 1982. Robert Baer, a CIA operative, was stationed in Beirut at the time of the bombing. He tells the story of a young man in a GMC pickup truck who drove up to the end of a road and waited for a sign. It was a beautiful day in Beirut, and Lebanon was taking the necessary steps to reconcile its affairs with Israel. Lebanon was in a position to recognize Israel as an official state. In the American’s mind it was the start of a new era of relations for Israel and the United States in the Middle East. A Mercedes car then advanced down the road and gave a wave at the young man in the GMC truck resulting in the truck proceeding down the road towards the American Embassy in Beirut. Baer describes the situation as so unexpecting as nearby schools were letting out with cars double parked in the streets. When the truck arrived at the US Embassy it made an abrupt left, went under the portico the wrong way, drove straight into the lobby, and blew up killing many American diplomats and Lebanese civilians.
The United States still feels the effects of the 1982 suicide bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut. It was the first time the United States was forced to leave a country because of terrorism. When looking at the attack from a tactical sense you have to put aside the lives lost and look at the brilliance of the operation. The Palestinians were never able to pull off an operation of this caliber. Over a period of many years, it was concluded by the CIA, that Iran played a huge role in conducting the operation. In the opinion of many intelligence professionals, Iran was deemed responsible as they paid for it, trained the people, smuggled the explosives into Beirut, and covered up the information involving the entire task. Iran’s hand in attacks did not stop in Beirut. There were additional attacks against the Marines at their barracks and another US Embassy shortly thereafter.
Iran's influence has certainly been felt throughout the Middle East. During the eighteen year period when Hezbollah battled the Israeli military in Lebanon, Iran provided most of the support to Hezbollah. In 2006, Hezbollah forced Israel to retreat beyond their borders because of heavy military resistance. The thirty four day war started with Hezbollah shooting rockets into Israel and ended with Hezbollah shooting just as many rockets as when the war started into Israel. It is difficult to truly calculate how much credit Iran should be given but in the end it is fair to say that without their assistance to Hezbollah then the war would have likely had a much different outcome.
The recent war between the United States and Iraq, greatly helped Iran because the United States was able to disband an elite Sunni Army. Iraq was interpreted as the shield of the Sunni Arabs but this label subsequently fell early in 2003. A similar situation is occurring in Afghanistan. By the United States destroying the Taliban, they once again, like Saddam, took out Iran’s enemy. Over the past three years, the Taliban has seen a resurgence in Afghanistan. With President Barrack Obama sending more troops over to Afghanistan than ever before it is safe to assume the Taliban will be once again disbanded. Iran has had two unsought victories with Iraq and Afghanistan.
Since 1982, Iran fought a brutal war with its nemesis Iraq. It is unclear how many people in Iran actually lost their lives but in the Oval Office it was determined that Iran was a country falling apart. The economy was going straight downhill and they failed to legitimize a strong military presence. Therefore Iran was essentially ignored because it was clear in the American’s eyes it would fall sooner or later. What Iran was really doing, was blackmailing the rest of the Middle East by the use of asymmetrical warfare and weapons provided by the Chinese and Russians. The blackmail is better understood by Iran’s ability to halt over seventeen million barrels of oil a day. They would simply have to sink a few oil tankers going across the Straits of Hormuz or fire off one of the many missiles they have acquired at Saudi Arabia’s oil fields. Iran has control of over fifty five percent of the world’s oil reserves if they choose to exercise them.
This brings up the question of what does Iran really want? It has the outline of an empire in Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It is a potential empire run by different proxies. For example in the Gaza Strip, it effectively funds the Islamic Jihad Organization and Hamas. If we take Iran’s record going back to the attack on the US Embassy in 1982, and follow it through the hostage taking, the attacks in Buenos Ares, the attacks on the Israeli Embassy, the Jewish Cultural Center, the attack on Khobar Barracks, it is fair to assume it is a terrorist state. In 1996, the Iranian’s attacked the Khobar towers in Saudi Arabia proved to be the last military attack. These attacks and support of proxy warfare is not to attack against the United States but a preparation for the day we leave places such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
As Iran became more powerful it became more responsible. The United States has generally missed this uprising. For example, the thirty four day war between Hezbollah and Israel gave the Iranians the opportunity to take dozens of Americans hostage. The author Baer claims the he has talked to Iranians that say this whole idea of destroying Israeli is propaganda. What they really are trying to achieve is military dominance throughout the Middle East. Iran does not really care about what happens to the Palestinians as long as the Palestinians accept what Iran wants to happen. Hezbollah, as assumed, shares the same mind set as Iran.
One of the problems facing America is that they pay too much attention to non factors in the Middle East. The main focus is on Ahmadinejad, who the Iranians refer to him as bi-polar. He spent two millions dollars on widening the streets of Tehran in return for the Mehdi. He communicates with the Mehdi by dropping post it notes down a well. It is very evident that he is not a rational president. There is good news though because Ayatollah Khomeini is more rational and has complete control over the military.
One of the big issues surrounding the United States and Iran foreign policy is the development of the Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program. The big question surrounding this issue is how realistic it is whether or not the Iranians would be able to get enough energy and supplies to develop a nuclear weapons program. According to the CIA, Iran has suspended its development program. Many people feel that the Iranians are using the nuclear weapons card and taking it to the bargaining program. In an event where they were able to obtain enough uranium to produce a nuclear weapon it would likely be made clear to the United States. Regardless of what Iran wants on the bargaining table, if it’s the predominant voice in Afghanistan or Iraq, they would be able to turn in that nuclear weapons card.
As mentioned, Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic foreign relations since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Tehran never forgave the United States for supporting the ruthless Shah. Angry Iranian students took American diplomats hostage for 444 days following the revolution.
There has been much discussion about how to directly deal with Iran, since President Barrack Obama has come into office. President Obama already said he is fully committed himself to the cause of total nuclear disarmament in Iran. Although I do believe this will not sit very well with the Iranians, it is necessary. There is no reason not to believe that Iran now has five thousand centrifuges for enriching uranium and is steadily moving toward achieving the capability to build nuclear bombs. These issues go side and side with Iran’s engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Iranian government places a high priority on defeating al-Qaeda and the Taliban, extremist Sunni groups that pose a direct threat to Iran’s Shiite population. If President Obama is to dissuade Iran from building a nuclear bomb, as well as develop a successful regional strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan, he will have to develop an integrated approach toward Iran that addresses all three issues.
First, both sides must recognize the connection among these issues. Success with one can build trust and create confidence needed for progress on the others. Failure on one could stymie advancement on the others. Using military force against Iran's nuclear facilities, for example, would make cooperation on Iraq and Afghanistan impossible. Discussions across a broader agenda also create opportunities for constructive compromise. A concession on one issue can be used to resolve a sticking point on another.
Second, for such a strategy to work the US must consult in advance other nations including, most particularly, the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council (France, Britain, Russia, and China), the UN secretary-general, Israel, Turkey, Pakistan, and the Arab countries. The governments in the region have a direct interest in Iran's nuclear program, the future of Iraq and Afghanistan, and US–Iranian relations. All of the countries listed have a stake in one or more of these issues, and success is more likely if they believe their concerns are being taken into account, not excluded.
The third requirement of an integrated strategy would be to create a continuing forum or other institution that would allow the US, Iran, members of the Security Council, and neighboring governments to discuss questions involving Iraq and Afghanistan. No such institution now exists.
My central recommendation would be that the United States engages Iran directly and without preconditions. There must be an open dialogue between Iran and the United States for talks to resume and make progress. To no surprise of anyone, President Obama’s three main security issues are Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran’s nuclear program. All three of the countries are intertwined and relate to each other. In the final analysis, President Obama must find a way to resolve all three of these major issues or in all likelihood none of them will ever be solved.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sizdah Bedar (سیزده بدر)
As families make their way into the countryside with their picnic baskets fully packed they are joyful and optimistic. It is an extremely happy day of being outside with the family and making new friends. Many families plan to go out with other families and it is common to have groups of hundreds of people getting together. The elder family members enjoy teaching younger family members about their Persian heritage, traditions, and culture. When the kids get restless of listening to their grandparents ramble on about the good old days they love to fly kites, play soccer, and other games. The elder men turn to their own games and love to challenge their minds with games of backgammon and chess.
Sizdah Bedar is also a day for wishful thinking. It is customary to make wishes about the coming new year and the many challenges ahead. Young girls enjoy knotting blades of grass symbolizing the wish to find that special someone and fall in love. Traditionally girls will sing "Next Sizdah-Bedar, I hope to be in my husband’s home, and as a lady holding a baby" (In Farsi: Sizdah Bedar Saal-e Degar Khaaneh-ye Showhar Bacheh Beh Baghal) as they knot the blades of grass. It is an excellent day to meet people and many girls wish for this day all year hoping they will meet a nice boy. Many parents purposefully introduce their children to to other children in hope of arranging a love connection. 
The highlight of the day is to throw the sabzeh (سبزه) from the Haftsin (هفت سین) table into the nearest lake or river. During the twelve days of the Nowruz festival the sabzeh has been collecting all of the pain, suffering, and ill will that the coming year willl bring. It is a ritual practice on Sizdah Bedar to bring this sabzeh with you on your trip to the countryside so you can get rid of it. It is important to remember not to touch another's sabzeh as it it considered extremely bad luck. It can bring all of that family's pain and suffering upon yourself.
Sizdah Bedar is becoming a more political holiday due to the actions of the current Iranian regime. The current regime is trying to change the name "Sizdah Bedar" to "The Day of Nature" in order to de-emphasize its pre-Islamic origins. This has many Persians outraged and causes some to mount protests on this day. Protesting makes the current regime very nervous so the Basij are out in force on this day, which creates high tension between the government and regular people heading out to the countryside with their families.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Muhammad al-Mahdi (The Twelfth Imam)
Muhammad al-Mahdi was born in 869 AD, in Samarra, which is located on the Tigris River in central Iraq. “This Imam in hiding was said to have been born circumcised, and Ibn al-Amri reports on the authority of the Imam’s aunt that his mother gave birth to him without bleeding “as is the way of the mothers of the Imams (Arjomand, Said A. "The Crisis of the Imamate and the Institution of Occultation in Twelver Shi'ism: A Sociohistorical Perspective." pg. 2).” His mother’s name was Narjis Khatun, the daughter of Joshua. Joshua was the son of the Byzantine Emperor Michael III, which makes Narjis the granddaughter of a Roman Emperor (Tayyebi, Nahid. "Mother of Awaiting."). She reportedly had a special dream one night that she would convert to Islam and marry the eleventh Imam. Sometime after her dream there was a huge battle between the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Empire, and Narjis quietly slipped into a disguise as a servant girl to go with the army to war. The Byzantines and the Abbasids were at war from 851 to 863, many battles were fought and it is unclear exactly when she secretly slipped away. The Byzantines lost the battle and she was taken as a slave along with the other servant girls. She was purchased by Imam al-Askari and became his wife just as the dream had told her.
Al-Mahdi’s childhood is one of secrecy, and not much is known about him. His father, Imam al-Askarikept his birth a secret from the Abbasid caliphs for fear that they would kill him. Imam al-Askari had been persecuted his whole life and had spent most of his life under house arrest in Samarra (Shabbar, S.M.R. "Story of the Holy Ka'aba and its People." pg. 14). In 874, Imam Askari was poisoned and he died. He left behind one son who was five years old, according to Twelver Shi’i. Imam al-Askari was a great scholar and teacher and loved by many. His funeral was attended by many including the Caliph al-Mu’Tamid. Imam al-Askari had a very unique funeral as S.M.R. Shabbar writes
“When they all lined up and were ready to commence prayers, Imam al-Askari’s brother Ja’far stood in front of the people to lead the prayer. Before he could commence the prayer, a five year old boy came out of the house and went near his uncle. He shook his mantle and told him, “set aside uncle, only an Imam can lead the funeral prayer of an Imam.” His uncle Ja’far stepped aside and this five year old boy lead the prayers. Immediatley after the end of the prayer he went inside his house and was not seen by his pursuers, lead by the Caliph Mu’tamid himself (Shabbar, S.M.R. "Story of the Holy Ka'aba and its People." pg. 14).”
This is the moment that Twelvers refer to as the “lesser occultation.”
Al-Mahdi’s disappearance shook the Shi’i community to the core. For those who believed in the lineage of the Imams, cracks would start to appear as the story of what many believed really happened that day became arguably different. Many believed that Ja’far was the next Imam, since Imam al-Askari had no children that anyone knew of. “Others asserted that the twelfth Imam had not yet been born, but would be born in the last days just before the Day of Judgement. Others asserted that it was Imam al-Aksari who had gone into occultation (Momen, Moojan. An Introduction to Shi'i Islam. pg. 162).” The Shi’i that believed al-Askari was still alive was because according to them a childless Imam cannot die, therefore he is the one that is in hiding. There were others who had alternate beliefs to these and the Shi’i community split into at least twelve different sects. After al-Mahdi had disappeared a man by the name of Uthman al-Amri, who was very close with al- Mahdi, his father, and grandfather appeared. He had already claimed to be in contact with the tenth and the eleventh Imam who some believed were also in occultation. He was attached to a network of followers who were known as Wikala. “The main purpose of the Wikala was to collect the khums, the zakat, and other kinds of alms for the Imam from his followers (Hussain, Jassim M. The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam. pg. 4.1 ).” Since he already had established himself as the leader of the Wikala, and was in contact with the tenth and eleventh Imams, there was no reason to believe that taking charge of collecting for the twelfth Imam was out of the ordinary.
Eventually there were four agents put in charge of being intermediates to the Twelfth Imam. Al-Amri called on his son Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Uthman to be his successor. “For forty-five years these two laid claim to the position of being the agents of the hidden Imam (Momen, Moojan. An Introduction to Shi'i Islam. pg. 163).” When al-Amri died Abu’l-Qasim Husayn ibn Ruh an-Nawbakhti became the third agent to help ibn Uthman communicate with al-Mahdi for the Twelver Shi’i. The fourth and final agent was Abu’l-Husayn Ali ibn Muhammad as-Samarri. A week before his death he received a letter from al-Mahdi saying:
“May Allah give good rewards to your bretheren concerning you, for indeed you shall die after six days. So prepare your affairs, and do not appoint anyone to take your place after your death. For the second occultation has now occurred, and there can be no appearance until, after a long time when Allah gives His permission, hearts become hardened and the world becomes filled with injustice. And someone shall come to my partisans (Shi`a) claiming that he has seen me; but beware of anyone claiming to have seen me before the rise of al-Sufyani and the outcry from the sky, for he shall be a slanderous liar (Hussain, Jassim M. The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam. pg. 7.1).”
Al-Mahdi had predicted all four of the deaths of his previous agents, and from here he has decided that there will be no more connection between him and his followers. This marks another transition in Twelver doctrine known as the “Greater Occultation.”
The “Greater Occultation” was very difficult for many of the Shi’i. “The multiplication of extremist
claimants to the "gatehood" of the hidden imam, and the absence of communication between the imam's holy seat and the Shi'i community for a second time, deepened the sense of trial in this period of perplexity, and many Imami Shi'is left the fold, threatening Imami Shi'ism with extinction (Arjomand, Said A. "The Crisis of the Imamate and the Institution of Occultation in Twelver Shi'ism: A Sociohistorical Perspective." pg. 509 ).” Similar to Christianity the Shi’i now must wait for this occultation to be over with, and their redeemer to return. Al-Mahdi is destined to return before the final Day of Judgement. He will return and have an epic battle with the forces of evil and the enemies of the Shi’i will be annihilated.
Al-Mahdi’s childhood is one of secrecy, and not much is known about him. His father, Imam al-Askarikept his birth a secret from the Abbasid caliphs for fear that they would kill him. Imam al-Askari had been persecuted his whole life and had spent most of his life under house arrest in Samarra (Shabbar, S.M.R. "Story of the Holy Ka'aba and its People." pg. 14). In 874, Imam Askari was poisoned and he died. He left behind one son who was five years old, according to Twelver Shi’i. Imam al-Askari was a great scholar and teacher and loved by many. His funeral was attended by many including the Caliph al-Mu’Tamid. Imam al-Askari had a very unique funeral as S.M.R. Shabbar writes
“When they all lined up and were ready to commence prayers, Imam al-Askari’s brother Ja’far stood in front of the people to lead the prayer. Before he could commence the prayer, a five year old boy came out of the house and went near his uncle. He shook his mantle and told him, “set aside uncle, only an Imam can lead the funeral prayer of an Imam.” His uncle Ja’far stepped aside and this five year old boy lead the prayers. Immediatley after the end of the prayer he went inside his house and was not seen by his pursuers, lead by the Caliph Mu’tamid himself (Shabbar, S.M.R. "Story of the Holy Ka'aba and its People." pg. 14).”
This is the moment that Twelvers refer to as the “lesser occultation.”
Al-Mahdi’s disappearance shook the Shi’i community to the core. For those who believed in the lineage of the Imams, cracks would start to appear as the story of what many believed really happened that day became arguably different. Many believed that Ja’far was the next Imam, since Imam al-Askari had no children that anyone knew of. “Others asserted that the twelfth Imam had not yet been born, but would be born in the last days just before the Day of Judgement. Others asserted that it was Imam al-Aksari who had gone into occultation (Momen, Moojan. An Introduction to Shi'i Islam. pg. 162).” The Shi’i that believed al-Askari was still alive was because according to them a childless Imam cannot die, therefore he is the one that is in hiding. There were others who had alternate beliefs to these and the Shi’i community split into at least twelve different sects. After al-Mahdi had disappeared a man by the name of Uthman al-Amri, who was very close with al- Mahdi, his father, and grandfather appeared. He had already claimed to be in contact with the tenth and the eleventh Imam who some believed were also in occultation. He was attached to a network of followers who were known as Wikala. “The main purpose of the Wikala was to collect the khums, the zakat, and other kinds of alms for the Imam from his followers (Hussain, Jassim M. The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam. pg. 4.1 ).” Since he already had established himself as the leader of the Wikala, and was in contact with the tenth and eleventh Imams, there was no reason to believe that taking charge of collecting for the twelfth Imam was out of the ordinary.
Eventually there were four agents put in charge of being intermediates to the Twelfth Imam. Al-Amri called on his son Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Uthman to be his successor. “For forty-five years these two laid claim to the position of being the agents of the hidden Imam (Momen, Moojan. An Introduction to Shi'i Islam. pg. 163).” When al-Amri died Abu’l-Qasim Husayn ibn Ruh an-Nawbakhti became the third agent to help ibn Uthman communicate with al-Mahdi for the Twelver Shi’i. The fourth and final agent was Abu’l-Husayn Ali ibn Muhammad as-Samarri. A week before his death he received a letter from al-Mahdi saying:
“May Allah give good rewards to your bretheren concerning you, for indeed you shall die after six days. So prepare your affairs, and do not appoint anyone to take your place after your death. For the second occultation has now occurred, and there can be no appearance until, after a long time when Allah gives His permission, hearts become hardened and the world becomes filled with injustice. And someone shall come to my partisans (Shi`a) claiming that he has seen me; but beware of anyone claiming to have seen me before the rise of al-Sufyani and the outcry from the sky, for he shall be a slanderous liar (Hussain, Jassim M. The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam. pg. 7.1).”
Al-Mahdi had predicted all four of the deaths of his previous agents, and from here he has decided that there will be no more connection between him and his followers. This marks another transition in Twelver doctrine known as the “Greater Occultation.”
The “Greater Occultation” was very difficult for many of the Shi’i. “The multiplication of extremist
claimants to the "gatehood" of the hidden imam, and the absence of communication between the imam's holy seat and the Shi'i community for a second time, deepened the sense of trial in this period of perplexity, and many Imami Shi'is left the fold, threatening Imami Shi'ism with extinction (Arjomand, Said A. "The Crisis of the Imamate and the Institution of Occultation in Twelver Shi'ism: A Sociohistorical Perspective." pg. 509 ).” Similar to Christianity the Shi’i now must wait for this occultation to be over with, and their redeemer to return. Al-Mahdi is destined to return before the final Day of Judgement. He will return and have an epic battle with the forces of evil and the enemies of the Shi’i will be annihilated.
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