By
Manouchehr Hosseinzadeh
Allow me to present to you five different manners of lying and its' endless
benefits. First is the 'innocent lie' and that is when I lie, but neither you
nor me is aware of my falsehood. A mistake is committed here not a sin. Next is
the 'malicious lie.' That is when I am aware of my lie but you are not. A sin is
committed here and its ferocity is the matter of how much I gain and how much
you lose. Third is the 'shameful lie' and that is when both you and me know
that I have lied. Fourth is the 'audacious lie' and that is when not only we
both know of my lie but I also know that you know that I have lied. Finally the
fifth manner of lying is when we both know that I have lied and furthermore I
know, that you know, that I know that I have lied but I keep repeating my lie
even though my falsehood is known to both of us. This takes me to the subject of
my argument on the question of 'Iranian Threat to World Peace.'
Many US and Israeli officials have argued that Iran is a threat to the world
peace but instead of proving their claim they have exaggerated it to a
ridiculous point. Among them is Benjamin Netanyahu's claim in Europe that Iran
is the biggest threat to world peace in history; even greater than Hitler. These
are the kind of claims that is made by someone with certain agenda and then is
picked up and circulated by the media without questioning its' accuracy or
validity. Once in media these unsubstantiated claims become unquestionable facts
and are repeated by other politicians as SoundBits and reverberated in the
public without questioning its origin and is repeated so often that it becomes
an unquestionable part of common knowledge. This is how justifications for
unlawful acts are made and a pretext for wars is developed.
Naturally, to prove my point about Iranian threat to world peace I must first
offer a reasonable definition of the threat. To do this, I will try to explain
the elements of a true threat as I see it and show whether these definitions
apply to Iran's behavior or not. But since we all know that United State and
Israel are not a threat to world peace, if by any chance these definitions
describe them and not Iran, then Iran and along with it anyone else that falls
outside these description is also a threat and that includes you, yes you the
one that is reading these lines.
For a country or person to be a threat to the world peace all or at least some
of the following necessary conditions must apply.
a)
must have means to cause harm to others without serious repercussions
b)
must have some a history of violence against others
c)
must have indicated its intention to harm other(s)
d)
must have allocated large amounts of resources for offensive purposes
e)
must have positioned and arranged an array of forces in a threatening posture
For Peace, Spend More Money on War
The people of the world are wise; they certainly have their priority in right
place. If we assume that the United Nation is the sole guardian of global peace
and the budget for all its operation and all related agencies is the money the
world spends on preserving peace then we can say that annually world spends $20
billion on preserving peace. That is if every country pays their dues which they
don't. Chief among delinquents is US that owe $688 million of $735 million red
ink hole that UN is in and that accounts for 94% of unpaid dues to UN. Right off
the bat, we see here how much US, that is one of the main beneficiary of UN,
really cares about it. In other word, short of unpaid dues world (UN) spends $20
billion to preserve peace. This means for peace we spend only $3 per person. By
contrast the total global military expenditure is $1204 billion or $179 per
person. Our other priorities are education $6, water and sanitation $9, and
basic health and nutrition $13 per person annually. The United States is
responsible for 47% of entire global military expenditure and its share is
increasing. Thanks to two wars that the United States that has started in Middle
East and help from Israel that contributed to world instability by repeatedly
invading its neighbors, world military expenditure jumped by 3.5% in 2006. That
is 3.5% of $1.2 trillion. Who contribute to this mad dash toward militarism?
World's most peace loving countries, the United States and who is responsible
for 80% increased military expenditure and Israel that provides testing ground
for newly developed weapons. World military industrial complex depends on global
instability to maintain its profit margin and wars to test and develop more
advanced killing tools. How about Iran, you would ask. Iran has a $7.2
Billion military budget and ranks 22nd after such countries such as
Saudi Arabia with ($29.5 billion) United Arab Emirate ($9.5 billion) Taiwan
($7.7 billion) and Greece ($7.3 Billion) military expenditure. The United
States with $711 billion annual military budget is #1 well ahead of China, the
#2, which spends $121.9 billion on its military. Israel is in 17th
position and spends $11 billion on its war machine and has developed a lucrative
death business that its share of market is sky rocketing. But we all know that
the United State and Israel are not a threat to world because they say so, and
despite all evident no one is ready to argue against it. In fact Israel, the
darling creation of west, is the only country in the world that two of its
leader have received Nobel Peace award.
Conclusion #1: the less you spend on your war machine the more of a treat to
world peace you are
International Law is What You Want It to Be
Peace Loving Nations of United States and Israel define International Law
according to their own interest. Both the United States and Israel have adopted
the doctrine preemptive strike as their military policy and have stretched its
application to ridiculous levels. In 1981 Israel when it destroyed Iraq's Osriak
nuclear reactor while it was being built by French and in 2001 when United
States invaded Iraq to destroy non-existing WMDs, claimed that they were facing
"imminent threat" and invoked the doctrine of Preemptive Strike without UN
Security Council approval. In other word they acted long before a threat
materializes or in the case of the United States exists. Both actions were
outside frame of Customary International law and UN Charter that requires "an
imminent danger of attack" as precondition to initiate preemptive reaction. To
be precise the UN Charter recognizes tow pre existing condition and tests to
justify a preemptive strike. First, the threatened States must demonstrate that
the posing danger is "imminent" and "overwhelming" therefore there is no time
for diplomacy and deliberation, and second, use of force must be proportionate
to the threat. Both Israel and United States failed both of these tests by
destroying another country's infrastructure and causing enormous casualties.
The question here is if the mere existence of WMD is a cause enough to pose an
imminent danger, wouldn't Iran have the right to attack Israel or for that
matter, all non-nuclear countries have the right to attack the western countries
that have stockpiles WMD. Such aggressive tendency is also embedded in their
military goals. The US's stated military goal to achieve "Full Spectrum
Dominance," the post cold war dream of US tacticians, coupled with US's modern
history that has not fought any war on its soil does not prove defensive
posture, far from it, is an indication of the drive for global hegemony through
use of force. By the time George Bush came to office and specially after 9/11
terrorist attack even the "Two War" doctrine that would enable United States to
fight two simultaneous wars in two different theater of operation was not
enough. Bush's Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) that calls for readjustment of
US strategy to a changing global condition is another example. QDR redefines the
concept of threat in such a manner that perpetuate American global military
hegemony while giving the president of the United States the right to call for a
decisive victory in one of these wars by all means necessary; including regime
change or nuclear weapon. In this concept Israel acts as front garrison of
American hegemony in Middle East and is indispensible part of American strategy
and foreign policy.
Conclusion #2: you are not a threat to world peace if you are the one that
defines 'threat'
Be Loud, Even if You Are Not Right; You Would be Seen as Right
To be sure Iran also has its own George W. Bush except his name is Mahmud
Ahmadinejad and is shorter. Like Bush he speaks before he thinks. In a way he
has been the God sent gift to Israel and Israeli lobby in United States. Didn't
he know that his every word would be scrutinized to find a way to demonize him?
Didn't he know that Israel and the United States were desperately looking for
pretext to put pressure on him, to argue that Iran is threat to world peace and
use this excuse as pretext to their regime change and other designs in the
Middle East? Didn't he know that Israeli lobby would use all means in its
disposal to humiliate him, entrap him in preplanned public show at Columbia
University and embarrass him? During his visit to United States everywhere
Ahmadinejad went, in every interview, in any discussion, his comment about
Holocaust was brought up and his reference to Israel's eventual disappearance
was repeated. The same questions and the same answers over and over; reputation
makes reality. But Ahmadinejad's comment was not anything new, during his tenure
as the leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khomeini repeatedly talked about
Israel's illegitimate existence. Why wasn't the issue then of such an
importance? The answer is simple; there were no neo conservatives to look for
excuse for their regime change plans. If I had a penny for every time his
statement was repeated I would have a palace on Caribbean and buy you one. Over
and over in media, in US presidential campaign and in debates one after another
candidates repeated this false statement. Yet for every repetition of his
statement there are two explicit threat that candidates used Ahmadinejad's words
to get points with AIPAC that was a major contributor to their campaign and had
the ability to sabotage their chances for winning the election. Ahmadinejad's
words were linked to Iran's nuclear program and the framework of an Iranian
threat was set. The very Idea of regime change in the United States and her
refusal to give Iran security guarantee indicates a real and present danger to
Iran, not the other way around. Media's very often talk of attack on Iran,
either by Israel or United States became part of psychological warfare and part
of broader effort to create instability in Iran. No one asks about the
lawfulness of such an action if it takes place as if the charter of nations dose
not exist and rule of law does not apply to United States and Israel. Yet the
United States with its massive nuclear arsenal, and armies sandwiching Iran on
the East and West, and Israel with its nuclear weapon and second strike
capability, and their open pronouncement that military action against Iran is on
the table is not threatening to world peace
Conclusion #3: pretend to be a victim to justify your own threat to world peace
The More Wars You Wage the Less of Threat You Are
It is tough to take other people's land by force and keep it. Since 1948 Israel
has carried 51 military operations against its neighbors. This does not include
the list more than 60 indiscriminate killings and massacres by such terrorist
organizations as Haganah or Irgun. Not bad for a country that is only 60 years
old. The same logic that has forgotten these historical facts about Israel also
ignores the reality that long before Hamas began lashing out at Israel, Egypt,
Israel and the United State tried everything to eliminate Hamas by punishing
more than one million people for the crime of democratically electing their own
leaders. If today Israel is describing itself a victim and at the same time uses
state of art weaponry to kill innocent people it is because of the conspiracy of
silence in west that you and me are a part of. Instead of talking about killing
civilians by Israel, US media repeatedly claims that Hamas started the war and
Hamas leaders hide among population. These were the same eyes and ears of
society who closed their eyes when more than a million people were denied food
and medicine. In dense and sardine urban enclave of Gaza it is impossible not to
be among people and Hamas is people's only defensive force. No, Hamas sincerely
apologizes for not all standing in one corner making it easier for Israel to
slaughter them. Today in the west, Islam and none Israeli Middle Eastern are
identified with terrorism, overlooking routine kidnapping, assassinations,
destruction of Palestinian homes by Israel. No one questions giving Menachem
Begin a known member of Haganah terrorist organization responsible massacre of
innocent people Nobel Peace award. In United States children of known terrorist
associated with Irgun and sworn enemy of Palestinian people walk in corridors of
congress and are appointed to sensitive high office to influence US foreign
policy in Middle East. In a country that calls Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist
organizations because they resisted an unlawful occupation, Haganh is given
opportunity to operate openly and distribute its fascist literature even today.
Conclusion #4: You Can Wage War and not be a threat to world peace; as long you
are accusing others for It.
Who Cares What the International Community Thinks; You Are the International
Community, Do Your Own Thing
Since 1946 UN Security Council has issued 19 resolutions on Iran; 3 on Soviet
occupation of Norton Iran demanding withdrawal of their forces, 1 on taking
American diplomats hostage, 10 on Iran/Iraq war, 2 on UN peacekeeping mandate,
and three on Iran's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment activity. Only 4
of these resolutions have been against Iran. That includes the most recent three
that the United States and European countries (the real International Community)
after much arm twisting, bargaining and bribe managed to pass and called Iran's
refusal to bow to West defying international community. As if 118 members of
Non-Aligned movement who endorsed Iran on its right to enrich Uranium are not
part of world community. There is not a day that Iran's defiance of UN Security
Council is not mentioned in the media, but how about Israel's defiance. Between
1955 and 1992 alone UN Security Council issued 68 resolutions against Israel for
such actions as massacre of people, unlawful occupation or shooting down
civilian aircrafts. Even with US's support of Israel that has blocked many more
anti-Israel resolution, Israel still is the biggest violator of UN demands.
Conclusion #5: the more you violate international law and international norms of
behavior the more peace loving you are
As I said before, and conclude now, it is Iran that is the threat to World Peace
because none of these 5 propositions apply to her. So, if Iran is a Threat to
World Peace so are you and this is the problem. We gave you everything you
needed, an objective mass media that gives you the truth and nothing but the
truth, we gave you every reason not to doubt us. We opened the doors to
ignorance to you and promised you jobs to keep you busy. But what you do in
return, turn around and become a Threat to World Peace. Have you ever invaded,
not even another country, your own neighbor's house? Have you ever declared your
intention to harm another person? When was the last time you killed someone. You
probably don't even have a gun at home. What we are going to do about you? No,
really!
... Payvand News - 01/05/09 ... --
