As to be expected, Charles Krauthammer rips President Barack Obama’s agreement with Iran in Sunday’s [November 24, 2013,]Quad City Times article, “A Rescue Package for the Mullahs.” Opposite is the column by David Ignatius, “Deal Makes Allies of Saudis and Israelis,” where he worries our old allies may not share our optimism about living in peace with Iran. So the readers are treated to deep pessimism on one side and mild pessimism on the other. Why not give peace a chance?
Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was born in 1939. The ruler then was Reza Shah Pahlavi. Khamenei was only two years old when the Shah was forced off the throne. [This was] because it was suspected that he secretly favored the Nazis, and the British wanted control of Iran’s oil fields. So, Khamenei grew up under a leader more liked by the west, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. When he was 14, Khamenei would have surely been aware of the CIA’s role in ousting the democratically-elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh. So much for the West’s belief in democracy!
- Khamenei would also experience the Shah forcing “reforms” on Islamic society and forcing them to adopt Western-style clothing.
- He would witness the Shah’s attack on religious leaders of his day and the exile of his chief religious leader, Ruhollah Khomeini.
- At age 40, he would experience the revolution and overthrow of the Shah.
- Khamenei would also hear of the Iran-Contra scandal where, secretly, White House operators sold weapons to Iran, violating an arms embargo. Those men then used the money to fund the Nicaraguan Contras in their attempt to overthrow the Sandinista Revolution.
- Khamenei would also experience the U. S. providing intelligence and arms to Saddam Hussein, aiding him in Iraq’s war with Iran. He would note Saddam’s use of poison gas–with absolutely no objection raised by the U. S. government.
- He would note the U. S. negotiations with North Korea and be aware that the succeeding U. S. administration chose not to honor the deal.
This [all led to] Iran’s Supreme Leader’s world view. Who would want to trust a government like that?
Yet, as Supreme Leader, Khamenei had Iran sign and ratify the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty–even though Israel, a sworn enemy, has not signed it. He has issued a fatwa against [creating] nuclear weapons–when the U. S. government will not renounce the first use of nuclear weapons. He is aware that the Israeli government has nuclear weapons but will not allow the Atomic Energy Commission to inspect and verify the status of those nuclear capabilities.
So, why would he now give his Prime Minister, Hassan Rouhani, the okay to negotiate and reach an agreement with the P5 +1? [Editor’s note: On Sunday, November 24, 2013, an interim agreement was signed between the P5+1 countries and Iran in Geneva, Switzerland. Those countries include China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It consists of a short-term freeze of portions of Iran’s nuclear program, in exchange for decreased economic sanctions on Iran, as the countries work towards a long-term agreement. It represents the first formal agreement between the U. S. and Iran in 34 years.]
There can be only one reasonable explanation: times have changed. President Obama has ended the war in Iraq. He is ending the war in Afghanistan. He refrained from sending troopsto Libya, Egypt, and Syria. He has shown a preference for dialogue over “saber rattling.” So, why not give peace a chance? It takes brave leaders to seek reconciliation; cowards quickly draw a gun.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God (Matthew: 5, 9). On this saying, Jews, Christians, and Muslims agree. Let hope reign.