Create One Two Three… Many Irans

Back during the cold war, when the war in Vietnam was justified as part of our policy of the containment of “Communism”. I read an essay by the brilliant Argentinean revolutionary Che’ Guevara, which advocated creating many Vietnam wars to bring down the United States. Che’ felt that the best way to defeat the United States was by playing on our fear of communism to involve the U.S. in many foreign entanglements, which would eventually result in our system being overwhelmed and crumbling under the weight of these multiple burdens.

The current occupants of our executive branch seem to have adopted Che’s stratagem in their attempt to destroy the United States government as we know it. With our policies in Iraq, and now with Pakistan we do what is contrary to the real interests of the we the people. One has to see through the Orwellian newspeak of the advocates of the war on terrorism, the “long war”, or war against the islamofascists, what ever you care to call it. But by peeling back that superficial layer the real goal becomes clear.

First let’s go back to 1981. On January 20th of that year, the revolutionary guards in Iran released their hostages per the agreement made with the man inaugurated as President of the United States of America, on that day. The fact that he made this deal with our enemies while he was still a candidate, a private citizen, and purely for his own political advantage seems to be lost on those who remember the 40th president. Jimmy Carter, left the White House on that day, and he felt that we would soon have normal and cordial relations with Iran. This was not to be. Instead U.S. policies toward Iran were hostile and consolidated the power of the anti democratic, religious right. While there was some softening of our stance during the 1990’s which resulted in more moderate governments being elected, since 2001 our foreign policy seems to have been designed to push Iran toward the hard liners and the mullahs, who oppose liberalization of Iranian society.

Our next Iran is its’ neighbor Iraq. Our strategy in that county has resulted it the strengthening the religious right and those who use terrorism to achieve their goals. In addition to creating an unstable Iraq our policy has driven many in the Islamic world toward those who advocate theocracy over democracy, because our current government promotes “democracy” through occupation, oppression and torture.

Now we have Pakistan. Musharraf’s suspension of the rule of law in the name of promoting democracy, and defeating terrorism, is in reality a stratagem which enhances the power of the religious right. Those being arrested in Pakistan are the not the theocrats, not the terrorists. No, they are the advocates of the rule of law and of liberalization. They are lawyers and others who advocate a free and open society. They are those who oppose the adoption of Islamic law and advocate human rights for women and religious minorities. Yet the current occupant of the White House has supported the Musharraf regime and continues to do so because “he is an ally in the war on terrorism”.

I don’t believe the current administration is so naïve as to believe that by promoting oppressive regimes and instability they are promoting democracy. I don’t believe they don’t understand how suppressing liberal forces in a society promotes Islamic fundamentalism and hatred of the United States. I don’t believe they do not understand how terrorism is used as an instrument of foreign policy when one’s enemy has an over whelming advantage in military force and that by making enemies among the general population of these countries we promote terrorism.

They may play incompetent, but to a tin foil hat wearing nut like me, the real agenda is clear. The destruction of our republic so that power may be concentrated in the hands of a few elites. They have created and played on a fear of terrorism to create an environment where terrorism thrives. They use the threat of terrorism they create to justify the violation of our law, and ignoring our basic and fundamental rights. The real enemy lies within.