Making Iran our friend

FINALLY, AFTER three decades of mutual animosity, outright threats and puerile name-calling, the United States and Iran this week engaged in a constructive dialogue about their common concerns in the Middle East. Already the optimism that followed those talks has given way to the usual tit-for-tat accusations. Still, one can't help but wonder: After all these years, could the U.S. and Iran slowly be moving toward a more diplomatic relationship or even — dare I say it — rapprochement?

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This policy also accounts for Iran's seizure of four Iranian Americans — a journalist, a social scientist, an academic and a peace activist — all of whom have been accused of spying for the U.S. The charges are, no doubt, absurd. But Iran defends its actions by linking them to President Bush's recent decision to employ black-ops — including the use of Iranian exiles and emigres living in the U.S. — to foment revolution against the mullahs.

The great irony, of course, is that abandoning regime change in Iran is the surest way to ensure the regime's collapse. This is because, contrary to widespread perception, Iran is already a democracy. It's just not a very successful one.

Unlike most other countries in the Middle East, Iran has a long and deeply embedded democratic tradition that goes back more than a century. The country boasts what is arguably the most robust political culture in the Muslim world. Since 1980, Iran has held more than 20 elections — all of them freer and fairer than those of any of America's Arab allies — that have drawn 60% to 80% of the electorate to the polls. Despite harsh restrictions on who may run for office, Iran's elections offer lively political campaigns and raucous debates between contrasting candidates who do not shy away from any topic of concern.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-aslan2jun02,0,2833011.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail

:)

I don't know if I would go as far as "ally", and there are still elements in the administration and government that would prefer a big war instead. But it is true that Iran and the US have certain common interests, a stable Iraq, the current stooge government there, for example; and that wiser heads seem to have finally got some official talks about "stabilizing Iraq" to occur.

Iran's Shia, non-Arab and not interested in Caliphates or global jihad. But it has Arab (and Afghan) friends, and not just Shia ones.

The real issue's Israel, the source of the most extreme of the anti-Iran rhetoric. Israel won't compromise with Hamas or Hezbollah, and Iran won't abandon either, crucial as they are to its appeal in the Arab world beyond Iraq.

Without progress on Palestine any rapprochement will be limited. The Irony is that Iran's regional standing's now so high that a WH not run by morons could pull off the deal of the century by leaning on Israel and working with Iran to draw Iraq's factions together.

But we'll have to watch BushCo screw everything up instead as usual.