We all know the folks who bray that only they know how to defend the US, while the Democrats have no ideas except appeasement; we recite their names & their ideas robotically:
Condi: make Iran behave 'the American way.'
Lieberman: bomb Iran
Ledeen: bomb Iran
Pastor John Hagee bomb Iran
McCain bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran
Rep Ed Royce, R-CA: bankrupt Iran 'til the people turn into a mob and violently overthrow their government
Can you say "Shock Doctrine?" The chickenhawks don't, of course; they intone lofty motives: "freedom!" "democracy!" "civilized!" "westernized!"
But wiser heads are taking to the microphones and the Hill, and reintroducing words like "respect" and "honesty" to the media and publishing industry. Wiser voices have things to say that are the result of years of study and experience in the Middle East and Iran; what they are writing and saying is consistent with foundational American values. They differ, too, from the think-tank idealogues in that they do not seek to sow rancor and gin up anger, but to inform and resolve.
Who are these people and where can we find out more about how they would solve US problems in the Middle East?
Dr. Trita Parsi recently earned the doctorate degree from Johns Hopkins, where his dissertation advisors were Zbigniew Brzezinski and Francis Fukuyama. He turned his dissertation into a book,
'Treacherous Alliance – The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the US' http://www.treacherousalliance.com/
which he discussed on C-Span/Washington Journal on Sept 23, 2007, and which will be featured on C-Span Booknotes on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. If you don't have cable, you can stream Booknotes from the C-Span website:
http://www.booktv.org/...
In an article titled The Iranian Challenge in the Nov. 19, 2007 number of The Nation magazine:
http://www.thenation.com/...
Dr. Parsi popped the soapbubbles that are the slimy backbone of the propaganda campaign that the chickenhawks, their evangelical choir, and the administration have been waging against Iran. Parsi debunks these Seven False Assumptions about Iran:
Iran is ripe for regime change. Not true.
Iran is irrational and cannot be deterred. Not true.
Iran is inherently anti-American. Not quite.
Enrichment equals a nuclear bomb. Not necessarily.
Iran seeks Israel's destruction. False.
The pressure on Iran is working. Questionable.
Stability in the Middle East can be achieved only through Iran's isolation. Quite the contrary.
Last week, Dr. Parsi was one of four panel members who addressed packed pews on that other Hill, the Washington National Episcopal Cathedral's Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation. In a meeting sponsored by Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Maryland's Eastern Shore, Yale professor and Iran scholar Abbas Amanat; Stephen Kinzer, author of "All the Shah's Men," the story of the CIA overthrow of democratically elected Iranian leader Mossadeqh; and Bruce Laingen, charge d' affairs of the US Embassy in Iran when it, and he, was taken hostage by Iranian Revolutionaries, responded to Canon John Peterson's charge to discuss "respectfully and honestly," the dangerously strained relationship between Iran and the US. That hour-long discussion can be viewed here:
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/...
Forget about Hagee. if Democrats want to figure out how to touch America's soul, they should listen to Wayne Gilchrest.
Forget about Ledeen. Bruce Laingen suffered at the hands of Iran's Revolutionaries, and he did reflect bitterness. But as a professional diplomat, Laingen is wise enough to know that foreign policy ought not be run by emotion but by reasoned intelligence. Laingen recently met with Iran scholar Ali Ansari and his students at St. Andrews Institute in Great Britain.
Forget about Condi. Trita Parsi, Abbas Amanat, and Stephen Kinzer understand Iranian culture, speak the language, know the history, and have a grasp of the concept of respect--a notion that eludes the hectoring Ms. Rice. As does Bruce Laingen, this trio of Iran specialists understands that Iran wants -- and deserves -- respect. In exchange for what is only their due, Iran stands ready and able to assist the US in extricating itself from Iraq, and Iran can be helpful in resolving problems in Pakistan and Afghanistan.