The Paradox of Anti-Americanism in Iran

http://www.stimson.org/pub.cfm?id=184

The Southwest Asia program at the Stimson Center will periodically invite guest scholars to contribute opinion pieces to our analysis. This piece was written by Nicholas Schmidle, a graduate student at American University in Washington DC, who spent the summer of 2004 in Tehran.

Of all the governments in the Middle East, the Iranian regime remains the most resolute in confronting the United States. The Iranian leaders’ persistence in vilifying the US illustrates the deep antagonisms between the two countries. Indeed, regime-generated anti-Americanism is the product of the Islamic ideology promoted by Ayatollah Khomeini, but also a reflection of the tense and complex history of their relationship.

Yet, Iran itself suffers from internal contradictions that the mullahs wish did not exist. The Iranian people love America, and there is very little the government in Tehran can do to cool pro-Americanism on the streets. In an ironic twist of political fate, twenty-five years after the Islamic Revolution, Washington probably influences public opinion in Iran more than the Islamic regime. The Iranian government unwittingly created pro-Americanism in their country; the American government should be diligent not to unwittingly destroy it.

Many of the reports coming out of Iran in the past few years have shared a sense of bewilderment in describing the overabundance of pro-Americanism there. In a country where chanting “Death to America” is a provision of political assembly, the thought of being treated like a celebrity because of an American passport is almost unthinkable. After recently spending two months in Iran, my experiences attest that Iranians do, in fact, love America. But I also discovered that their love is a complex and twisted one.

Iranians’ fondness for America is nearer to that of a secret admirer than what exists between lifelong chums. By distancing itself from the United States, the Islamic regime has allowed many of its citizens to create “America” in their own minds. For the older generations, “America” recalls an era of economic affluence that the mullahs have been unable to reinstate since overthrowing the Shah. For the younger ones, “America” evokes a fantasy of liberal social attitudes. Many young Iranians now openly defy the regime’s prohibition of alcohol and coed activities.

While many Iranians remain predominantly pro-American in a region where anti-Americanism spreads quickly, US policymakers should respect the prevailing complexities of the Iranian polity. Just because there is a reserve of good will for America doesn’t mean Washington can take it for granted. For while keeping a lid on Tehran’s nuclear program might not be within Washington’s means, preventing an explosion of Iranian nationalism is.

As I was cautioned by Hamid, a 25 year-old student activist, “If one U.S. soldier comes to Iran, all this will change. It is like we are in the 90th minute of a football match. Anything can happen.”

The Radical Right hate us for our freedoms and will not rest until there is only One Way to Live, and they get to pick it. It really doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks--unless they get together and invade. We ought to be weak enough by the end of Bush's second term, before his third....