[Peace-discuss] Ann Wright: "Iranians Ponder Future U.S.-Iranian Relations in an Obama Administration / Travelling to Iran as a Citizen Diplomat for Peace"

[Stuart Levy]

See this well-written article by Ann Wright on commondreams:

    http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/27-3

I've excerpted several sections, but it's worth reading the complete article.
(Full list of headings:
    Travelling to Iran as a Citizen Diplomat for Peace
    Iranians Want Peace Not War
    Most Iranians Have Issues With Their Government, As Most Americans Have Issues With Theirs
    U.S. Interference in Iran's Internal Affairs
    Iran's Nuclear Program
    Iran, Israel and the United States
    Iranian Support for Hamas and Hezbollah
    Iraq
    Afghanistan
    Sanctions are Drying Up Lines of Credit for Businesses
    Human Rights in Iran
    Women's Issues
    Clothing Restrictions
    In the Month Since Our Visit
	Sparks Fly Over Iranian President's BBC Christmas message--
        "Jesus Christ Would Stand Up to Bullying,
	 Ill-Tempered and Expansionist Powers"
    Media Relations Not a Strong Suit of the Iranian Government
	[incl. that many Iranians see US missiles/radar in Poland/Czech Rep. as
	 a strategy to ensure that tensions continue to escalate]
    Iranians Not Optimistic About Future Relations with the United States Under
	an Obama Administration
    Iranians Want Peace
    Our Future with Iran - A Hope for Diplomacy Not Military Action
)


    Travelling to Iran as a Citizen Diplomat for Peace

Just a month ago, while Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and U.S. President Bush
met for the last time as heads of state in late November, 2008 in Washington
and continued their relentless bellicose rhetoric toward Iran, I and three
activists from the United States were in Iran as citizen diplomats talking with
Iranians on their views of a new American presidential administration and their
hopes for their country.

[...]

    Iranians Want Peace Not War

Codepink Women for Peace co-founders Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin, Fellowship
of Reconciliation Iran program director Laila Zand and I were reminded in
virtually every conversation that Iranians want peace with the United States,
not war.  Not one person in Iran told us that first, she believed her country
would begin a war with the United States, or any other country to include
Israel, and second, that if the United States initiated military actions
against Iran, that those actions would resolve problems in Iran or with the
United States.

They reminded us that, unlike the United States that has invaded and occupied
Iran's neighbors Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran has not attacked any country in the
last 200 years.  They reminded us that Iran was the victim of an eight year war
in the 1980s when Iraq invaded Iran and in which the United States and European
countries provided Iraq with military equipment, intelligence and chemical
weapons that were used at least 50 times against Iranian civilians and military
forces. We learned that during the eight year war the Revolution's Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Khomeini had mandated that it would be against Islamic
precepts to bomb Iraqi cities or use chemical or unconventional weapons on
Iraq-and Iranian military forces complied-even though the Iraqi military bombed
Iranian cities including Tehran and used chemical weapons on Iranians.

    Most Iranians Have Issues With Their Government, As Most Americans Have Issues With Theirs

Iran is a county with a population of about 70 million (two and one-half times
as many people as Iraq) and a geographic area about the size of Alaska (four
times as large as Iraq). Tehran, the Iranian capital, has 7.5 million people in
the urban area and 15 million in surrounding areas.  It is a modern city, with
a beautiful subway, cosmopolitan shops, as well as a huge traditional bazaar
and an incredible number of cars, trucks and motorcycles.  Tehran and Iran have
recovered from the Iraq war that ended 20 years ago and are holding up
remarkably well to U.S. and international sanctions.

Most Iranians with whom we talked openly said they have issues with many
aspects of their government.  Many said the Iranian people share a common
dislike with Americans--dislike of their governments, noting that President
Bush's and the U.S. Congress's approval ratings with the American people are
extremely low, as is Iranian President Ahmadinejad's ratings, particularly in
urban areas. But, they strongly said they do not want outside interference in
the internal political events of their country and definitely do not want a
political system and government installed by invasion and occupation.  Their
democracy, even with its flaws, is better than a U.S. enforced democracy, they
said. 

[...]

    Afghanistan

Other Iranians reminded us of Iran's help to the U.S. in 2001 and 2002 in the
early days of the U.S. military action in Afghanistan.  When we asked about
recent United States intelligence analysis that indicated Iranian support for
the Taliban, we were met with laughs.  The Taliban are of the Sunni branch of
Islam while the Iranians are of the Shi'a branch.  They reminded us that in
1998 the Taliban murdered 11 Iranian diplomats and one Iranian newsperson at
the Iranian consulate in Afghan northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, an incident
which Iranians have not forgotten.  The Iranians consider the Taliban their
adversaries and feel that a Taliban government in Afghanistan would make the
region more unstable.


    Sanctions are Drying Up Lines of Credit for Businesses

We found that Iranians are proud of their creativity to outwit the 29 years of
various sanctions the U.S. has placed on their country.  They say the U.S. has
only isolated itself commercially by its sanctions as Iran trades with many
other nations.  The Europeans, Chinese, Russians and Indians have had
flourishing businesses with Iran.  However, the recent international sanctions
clampdown on lines of credit for Iranian banks has had a rippling effect into
the business community, where money for loans to Iranian businesses for
purchase of materials is drying up.  Oil dollars that paid for an incredible
amount of imports are drying up with the downturn in oil prices, and the
government is beginning to reevaluate the large subsidizes given to the
population for food, gasoline and services.

We spoke with four businesswomen (an architect, a chemist, a business
consultant and an agricultural professional) who said each of their businesses
had been affected negatively with the shrinking of money available for purchase
of materials from outside the country and for continuation of current levels of
operation or expansion of their business.

One of the most of incredible stories we heard about the effect of the
sanctions was on the alternative energy sector.  Since there is so much
rhetoric in the U.S. about the dangers of the Iranian nuclear program, we
decided to see if there were alternative energy companies in the country. On
the aircraft flying into Iran, we met a European businessman who said he would
put us in touch with the director of a wind energy company.  He introduced us
by telephone to the director of Saba Niroo, an Iranian company that makes wind
turbines and is the largest regional wind power manufacturer
(http://www.sabaniroo.co.ir/eng/index.asp).  We met with the director and staff
at the modern, state of the art, factory, in south Tehran. Saba Niroo has
installed some of the 143 wind turbines planned for the wind farm in Manjil,
Guillan province and the 43 wind turbines planned for the Binalood wind farm in
Khorasan Razavi province. They have installed 4 wind turbines in the Pushkin
Pass wind farm in Armenia.

However, the director told us that because of U.S. sanctions pressure, Vestas,
a Danish wind energy company (http://www.vestas.com/) with whom the Iranian
company has had a contractual relationship, has now refused to honor its 15
year contract to furnish critical parts for the wind turbines.  

As a result, Saba Niroo has 50 huge, 70 foot long wind blades and corresponding
chassis and installation towers lying useless in its warehouse and warehouse
yard. Saba Niroo may go bankrupt in six months if it is unable to complete and
sell the wind turbines-all because of U.S. sanctions and pressure.

As a part of citizen diplomacy, we decided to defy sanctions and show our
support of alternative energy programs, by purchasing shares in Saba Niroo.  We
have also decided to purchase shares in the Danish company Vestas, which has a
big U.S. headquarters in Portland, Oregon.  As shareholders, we could put
shareholder pressure on Vestas to honor its contract with the Iranian company.

Join the campaign "Winds for Change" to support for alternative energy and for
sanctions breaking and purchase a shares with us.
(http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2008/12/12-5)

[...]

    In the Month Since Our Visit

Sparks Fly Over Iranian President's BBC Christmas message-- "Jesus Christ Would
Stand Up to Bullying, Ill-Tempered and Expansionist Powers"

In what they surely knew would be a very controversial request, the British
Broadcasting Company (BBC) asked Iranian President Ahmadinejad to deliver the
BBC channel 4's traditional "alternative Christmas message" to the Queen's
Christmas address.   

The head of BBC News and Current Affairs said the decision to ask President
Ahmadinejad was because "As the leader of one of the most powerful states in
the Middle East, President Ahmadinejad's views are enormously influential. As
we approach a critical time in international relations, we are offering our
viewers an insight into an alternative world view.  Channel 4's role is to
allow viewers to hear directly from people of world importance with sufficient
context to enable them to make up their own minds."
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7799652.stm)

It turned out that Ahmadinejad's short, 36 second message in Farsi with English
subtitles broadcast on Christmas Day, 2008, probably resonated with much of the
world, but predictably  provoked a British government hornet's nest with his
comment that if Jesus Christ lived today he would stand up against bullying
powers.  "If Christ were on earth today, undoubtedly he would stand with the
people in opposition to bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers."
Ahmadinejad, a devout Muslim, criticized the "indifference of some governments
and powers" towards the teachings of the "divine prophets, including Jesus
Christ" and said that "the general will of nations" was for a return to "human
values".  "The crises in society, the family, morality, politics, security and
the economy ... have come about because the prophets have been forgotten, the
Almighty has been forgotten and some leaders are estranged from God."

Ahmadinejad's remarks received very little media coverage in the United States,
miniscule when compared to the news story of the month-- President Bush's
encounter with the Iraq shoe thrower.  However, a spokeswoman for the UK's
Foreign and Commonwealth Office in predicting anticipated Bush administration
displeasure said: "President Ahmadinejad has during his time in office made a
series of appalling anti-Semitic statements. The British media are rightly free
to make their own editorial choices, but this invitation will cause offence and
bemusement not just at home but amongst friendly countries abroad."  

Labor Member of Parliament (MP) Louise Ellman, chairwoman of the Labor Jewish
Movement, said: "I condemn Channel 4's decision to give an unchallenged
platform to a dangerous fanatic who denies the Holocaust, while preparing for
another, and claims homosexuality does not exist while his regime hangs gay
young men from cranes in the street. Conservative MP Mark Pritchard, a member
of the Commons all-party media group, said: "Channel 4 has given a platform to
a man who wants to annihilate Israel and continues to persecute Christians at
Christmas time. "

    Media Relations Not a Strong Suit of the Iranian Government

It's almost as if the Iranian President Ahmadinejad, who is up for election in
the summer, 2009, has hired lame-ducks U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney and
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert as his foreign policy, national security and
media consultants.  How else could the Iranian government have come up with so
many incidents in the past weeks that give ammunition to those in the United
States and Israel who do not want dialogue with Iran on nuclear and regional
security issues, who want human rights issues to publicize and who wish ill to
the Iranian government and people?

For example, on December 22, 2008, the Iranian government closed down two human
rights organizations headed by 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi.  The
government accused the organization of carrying out illegal activities, such as
publishing statements, writing letters to international organizations, and
holding news conferences. The Center for Participation in Clearing Mine Areas
helps victims of landmines in Iran and Defenders of Human Rights Center reports
human rights violations in Iran, defends political prisoners, and supports
families of those prisoners. Ebadi was also taken into police custody briefly
following the raids.

And the first week in December, 2008, in a campaign against Western cultural
influence in Iran, Qaemshahr city police arrested 49 people during a crackdown
on "satanic" fashions and unsuitable clothing and closed five barbershops for
"promoting Western hairstyles."
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/3548370/Iran-arrests-49-for-wearing-satanic-clothing.html)

And now, there is the predictable increased international criticism about the
Russian government providing the Iranian government with S300s, anti-aircraft
and anti-missile defense systems, triggered by the Bush administration's
decision to put a "missile shield" in Poland and the Czech Republic.  On
December 23, 2008 United Press International (UPI) reported that the Russian
government had begun delivery to the Iranian government of some of its most
modern anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems, the S-300s.  These
missile systems can shoot down ballistic missiles and aircraft at low and high
altitudes as far away as 100 miles.  Iran conducted well-publicized air force
and ballistic missile defense exercises in September, 2008. 

The Bush administration's ballistic poke in the eye of Russia and Iran by the
deployment of  ballistic missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic
"to protect against attacks from rogue states"
(http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/library/news/2008/space-081115-rianovosti01.htm
is perceived by many Iranians as a strategy to ensure that tensions in the
region continue to escalate.  The United States is planning to deploy 10
Ground-based Mid-course Interceptors in Poland and batteries of shorter-range
Patriot PAC-3 anti-ballistic missiles to protect the Interceptors.


    Iranians Not Optimistic About Future Relations with the United States Under
    an Obama Administration

Despite President-elect Obama's comments during the Presidential campaign that
he would have dialogue with the Iranian government without preconditions, many
Iranians with whom we spoke are not optimistic that there will be meaningful
change in U.S. policy during an Obama administration.  Citing appointments of
former Israeli Defense Force member and US Congressman Rahm Emanuel, as Chief
of Staff, Hillary Clinton, who during the summer campaign said she would
"obliterate" Iran if Iran used nuclear weapons against Israel (a statement that
Iranians find incomprehensible since it is Israel that has nuclear weapons, not
Iran, and Israel continues to threaten Iran), and Dennis Ross, the Middle East
negotiator during the Clinton and Bush administrations, Iranians said they
hoped the AIPAC lobby in the United States had not already determined Obama's
agenda toward Iran.

Iranians Want Peace

To emphasize again, the overwhelming comment from Iranians during our visit was
that they want peace with the United States.  They hope that the new President
of the United States will talk with their government to resolve issues, instead
of resorting to the threat, much less, the use of military action.