Dancing with Iran
Ghassan Charbel Al-Hayat 2005/01/6
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazzi did not conceal his elation with the "victory", which was achieved by his country when National Geographic agreed to retract the "Arab Gulf" expression from its Atlas and permanently replace it with the "Persian Gulf". The Iranian News Agency celebrated the "correction" and saw the step as "victory for every Iranian". The magazine also removed the indication of an Iran-UAE dispute over the three islands in the Gulf from its website.
Let us put the matter of the magazine and the naming aside and look at the facts in the region. In the Iranian-Iraqi-Turkish triangle, which rests upon historic balances and a memory burdened with imperial wars, one can say that the Arab side has fallen with nothing indicates the restoration of its position in the near future. We do not say in attempt to guard the "Eastern Gate" through confrontation with Iran, something that Saddam did, but we say it as a way to read the new balances, which were bred by several factors, like the crisis that has hit Iraq. Turkey, residing under the NATO umbrella and governed by a party with Islamic roots, a party that realistically deals with Ataturk's legacy, has won itself a date to enter the European club while Iraq's unity is threatened and its land is open for grabs.
On the other side, Iran succeeded in rebuilding its military arsenal under a stable regime whose tensions are relieved by elections. Furthermore, Iran is not content with the traditional arsenal; doubts have risen regarding its propensity to sneak into the nuclear club like India, Pakistan, and Israel. It is true that the relations between Tehran and Washington were not resumed, and that the American administration did not fall short from pressuring and attacking the Iranian regime, but it is also true that Iran has exhibited great skill dancing with the Americans on the Afghani and Iraqi stages; it witnessed the fall of two hostile regimes without losing one drop of blood. At the same time, Iran succeeded in securing a place on the Arab-Israeli front through southern Lebanon and the Hezbollah presence therein. It also succeeded in maintaining friendly and consultative relations with Syria despite the difference of their positions on several issues.
The most dangerous Iranian achievement up till now, however, is its transformation into a decisive factor in the Iraqi future; in the least, it has the ability to prevent the creation of an antagonistic Iraq. It will be extremely dangerous if Iran transforms into a thread in the Iraqi internal fabric and appears as the supporter of the Iraqi Shiites, their protector, or the godfather of their gaining of a big share of power.
Arabs have no interest being Iran's enemy or inciting against it; but it is their right to mark the advancement of its position in the region at a time when their position is deteriorating due to continous collapses. Furthermore, it is their right to note that Iran's possession of a nuclear arsenal must not be read as a balance with Israel, because it multiplies the discrepancy in the balance of power between Iran and the Arab countries. The Arabs have an interest in having the firmest ties with Iran, but they also have the right to think about their future position in the Middle East region, especially if Washington chooses to recognize some of what Iran is working to establish after the fall of the "Eastern Gate". That will be a much more important victory than Kharazzi's celebration with regards to the "Persian Gulf" expression in the American magazine.
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