Iran & Israel: What the West should and can do
April 23rd, 2012 | 
Author: By Jan Oberg (951 words)
IPS COLUMNIST SERVICE, APRIL 2012 © IPS and the author
Editor’s note:
The overall picture has turned much worse over the last few months. In particular, the Western demands to Iran made public prior to the Istanbul consultations on April 14, bodes ill for the next round of talks in Baghdad. Everyone has stated views, used rhetoric and taken concrete steps that bring us all closer to the abyss called ‘War on Iran’. While it is easy and dangerous to escalate a conflict, it is difficult without losing face to de-escalate and make peace, writes Jan Oberg, director and co-founder of the Transnational Foundation (TFF) in Lund, Sweden.
Among these counterproductive steps are the Western halting of imports of oil from Iran on July 1, 2012 and the tightening of sanctions that already suffocate Iranian society. It is believed – falsely – that sanctions are somehow “soft weapons”. In Iraq, with one-third of the population of Iran, Western sanctions caused roughly one million Iraqi deaths.
What is indicative of a will to promote future peace among the parties? Well, the following are not: pre-negotiation demands, threats to destroy, an oil embargo, sanctions directed at citizens, condescending rhetoric to and about a nation with one of the oldest civilisations in the world, murdering its scientists, providing military training to its dissident terrorists abroad, telling it to abstain from what you have yourself done and requiring inspections there but not with the nuclear-armed “other side”. These are methods to make Tehran consider obtaining nukes although Iran’s highest leader has pronounced repeatedly that nuclear weapons are haram, i.e. strictly prohibited according to Islam (a fact never reported in Western media).
The world needs conflict-resolution capacity, knowledge and training. Those who run these matters steer their policies like unlicenced drivers. Under such conditions, accidents will happen and people will die. There is a huge spectrum of options between doing nothing and smashing up countries by military means.
This article offers plenty of constructive proposals.
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Iran/Israel: What the West can and should do
By Jan Oberg*
LUND, Apr (IPS) The overall picture has turned much worse over the last few months. In particular, the Western demands to Iran made public prior to the Istanbul consultations on April 14, bodes ill for the next round of talks in Baghdad. Everyone has stated views, used rhetoric and taken concrete steps that bring us all closer to the abyss called ‘War on Iran’. While it is easy and dangerous to escalate a conflict, it is difficult without losing face to de-escalate and make peace.
Among these counterproductive steps are the Western halting of imports of oil from Iran on July 1, 2012 and the tightening of sanctions that already suffocate Iranian society. It is believed falsely that sanctions are somehow “soft weapons”. In Iraq, with one-third of the population of Iran, Western sanctions caused roughly one million Iraqi deaths.
What is indicative of a will to promote future peace among the parties? Well, the following are not: pre-negotiation demands, threats to destroy, an oil embargo, sanctions directed at citizens, condescending rhetoric to and about a nation with one of the oldest civilisations in the world, murdering its scientists, providing military training to its dissident terrorists abroad, telling it to abstain from what you have yourself done and requiring inspections there but not with the nuclear-armed “other side”. These are methods to make Tehran consider obtaining nukes although Iran’s highest leader has pronounced repeatedly that nuclear weapons are haram, i.e. strictly prohibited according to Islam (a fact never reported in Western media).
Military expenditure (MILEX) is the most reliable single indicator of who would be able to threaten or harm someone else should the worst happen. Iran’s MILEX is about seven billion dollars or about one percent of the U.S.’s military expenses. Israel’s MILEX is 13 billon dollars – with one-tenth as many inhabitants as Iran. The U.S. spends four percent of its Gross National Product (GNP) on the military, Israel 6.5 percent and Iran 2.5 percent of its GNP. Iran has not invaded other countries since India in 1738 and has no bases abroad. Israel and the U.S. are nuclear weapons powers and occupiers, Iran isn’t.
Thanks to the overall pro-Israeli mainstream media in the West, most people are made to believe that Iran is a threat to the world because basic figures like these are never mentioned in the press. Given these figures, it would be suicidal for Iran to start a war on anyone. And the leaders in Tehran are neither insane nor stupid.
What the West, including Israel, can and should do:
1. Begin negotiations that offer a relaxation and lifting of sanctions, trade and diplomatic recognition as quid pro quo for steps taken by Iran; and scrap every precondition before the meeting.
2. Israel should stop feeding its citizens horror stories about Iran.
3. Allow Iran to continue its uranium enrichment program, but under close surveillance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) according to an Additional Protocol.
4. Change focus from the present regime, (thereby leaving it up to the Iranians to decide their own leaders).
5. The U.S. should stop its coercion of the IAEA.
6. The US should apologise for its involvement in the coup d’état against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953 and for the shooting down of Iran Air Flight 655 in 1988, which killed 290 passengers.
7. An apology for Western support to Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war that cost one million lives should be considered too.
8. The U.S. and Israel should end the terrorist acts, stop killing Iranian citizens and stop cyber warfare exemplified by the Stuxnet virus.
Here is what Iran can and should do:
9. End its support of terrorist groups that attack Israel.
10. End its talk of hatred against Israel and make it clear that they will not attack Israel, except if attacked first by Israel.
11. Iran should accept a far-reaching Additional Protocol for the inspection regime of the IAEA; ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban treaty, thus setting a good example for the U.S.
12. Iran should intensify the Dialogue of Civilisation project.
Other actors such as the United Nations, the European Union or single countries can and should work for:
13. Mediation, consultations, facilitation of any type of contacts between the parties.
14. Hearings in the EU Parliament and/or in the U.N. General Assembly where Iranian and Western representatives could tell the world about their goals, grievances and preferred future solutions.
15. Provide scholarships to Iranian students and promote all kinds of people-to-people contact.
16. Revive the agreement signed by Iran, Brazil and Turkey in 2010 according to which Iran sends enriched uranium to Turkey (perhaps these countries could still serve as mediators in some way?).
17. Speed up the accession process of Iran to the World Trade Organisation.
18. Send a delegation of former Nobel Peace Prize laureates on a dialogue mission to Tehran.
19. Take concrete steps to establish the Middle East as a Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone.
In short, do just about everything else except what all the parties are doing now, that is, de-escalate the tension before it is too late.
Remember Pogo who allegedly once said: ” We have met the enemy and he is us.” The West seems unable to live without enemies and creates them by its own policies. It’s mind-boggling that suggestions such as those above hardly ever surface in the public discussion, journalists never raising them with decision-makers who advocate war again and again.
The world needs conflict-resolution capacity, knowledge and training. Those who run these matters steer their policies like unlicenced drivers. Under such conditions, accidents will happen and people will die. There is a huge spectrum of options between doing nothing and smashing up countries by military means.
Government mentality is unlikely to change course or introduce basic conflict and peace knowledge at this point. Therefore, it is of tremendous importance that citizens in the West, in Israel and in Iran use social media to link up with each other and strengthens the idea of citizens’ diplomacy. (END/COPYRIGHT)
(*) Jan Oberg is director and co-founder of the Transnational Foundation (TFF) in Lund, Sweden, PhD, peace and conflict researcher.
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An excellent list of suggestions. The first round of talks between Iran and the 5+1 was described as positive and helpful. It is important to build on those discussions for the next round of talks in Baghdad in May by incorporating some of the excellent suggestions put forward here. The hysteria regarding Iran’s nuclear program is completely artificial and unnecessary. However, the possibility of war should not be ignored despite the slight lull in harsh rhetoric by both sides, and all those who are in favor of peace and reconciliation should redouble their efforts during this crucial period to prevent another disastrous war in the Middle East.
Well, I guess, first and foremost, the focus of debate (or should I say advice) here is misdirected. My view is that this is not about Iran and Israel, but Iran’s legitimate quest for: (maybe) development resources, e.g. energy, etc; and together with this, advancement of her people, scientifically and technologically, plus employment creation; plus a search for a place in the world community, which every other nation naturally and justifiably seeks. In other words, the Israel content is only incidental because some unscrupulous persons want to use it to suppress the development of another county. It is an unjustified paranoia. I remember recently we had a debate between two colleagues of mine on one hand and my self on the other, here in Uganda, about this matter. The two strongly held that Iran should be stopped to have nuclear weapons because ‘it is a rogue state and can use the weapons’. On my part I strongly protested, arguing that nuclear or no nuclear weapons, Iran has a legitimate right as any other country in the world, to have the weapons or the technology. And I maintained that Iran will not, after all, use those weapons against anybody, because Iranians have nothing to gain from it. I added that when Iran had had those weapons, then pressure and excitement will die down and the weapons will appear nothing new in their (Iranian) eyes. I reminded my protagonists that India first had them, and Pakistan had them next in a seemingly arms race, but none has ever or is about to use them against another. In fact today one least hears about India-Pakistan nuclear arsenals as if they don’t exist at all. So, I advised that what we need is to do is cooperate with Iran to minimise the risks of such activities by, at best, monitoring, and maybe persuading Iranians that they can possibly do something else for their people than develop nuclear weapons. But we should not exert pressure.
Wonderful ideas to de-escalate the tension between Iran and Israel. I feel strongly that both old and new Nobel Peace laureates should be given a role to play in international politics such as in the case between Iran and Israel. We must also accept the fact that society is dynamic and so nations will continue to make progress in alot of fields including science and technology. I do not think it is right for any country or region to feel that Iran has no right to use nuclear technology. It is their birth right if they have the resources to do it. Only God knows the number Iranians who have gained employment with their Nuclear project and electricity they can generate from the project. I also feel strongly that the IAEA should be allowed to do its work without pressure from various groups and nations.
Let me also state that the silent majority around world is not happy with the current UN Security Council’s project on Regime Change and granting legitimacy to armed groups. It is a very dangerous precedence which can cause us a lot of lives and property.
Thank you Dr Jan Oberg for coming up with these wonderful ideas.
brilliant suggestions