Wild Adventurism in New York UN headquarters…
The big beautiful Game.
I am not talking footie here.
Football has it’s place but this is bigger than that too.
As if that’s possible many of You might say.
Bear with me and will show You how, it just might be…
Many months of intense US and Israeli lobby activity and vote harvesting, resulted in the UN Security Council vote for a new round of sanctions against Iran.
Resolution 1929 is so watered down though as a result of Chinese and Russian efforts, that it will have little or no impact on Iran’s nuclear energy programme or Iranian trade and economic development.
Iran has lived with similar sanctions for more than three decades and with none of the country’s key economic sectors targeted by the new sanctions. Although many provisions in the new resolution are voluntary rather than mandatory, there is no reason to believe that Iran will face any serious hardship now, nor that it will alter course significantly besides expelling a couple of IAEA inspectors for fear of spying…
The timing of this latest round of sanctions, coming just a few days before the first anniversary of Iran’s controversial presidential elections and a few weeks after what was hailed by many as a landmark nuclear fuel swap deal between Turkey, Brazil and Iran, raises many questions about the intelligence of the UN body focused on delivering this result.
Questions abound: First is why did the US state diplomats rejected Iran’s fuel swap offer with Turkey and Brazil, and how could such toothless sanctions be considered a step in the right direction when the nuclear fuel swap deal is obviously so far better and a positive step for Peace.
The only feasible rationale for imposing further sanctions in the face of Iran’s obvious willingness to negotiate must be found not in any wish to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons, but instead in the geopolitical interests of a few power-hungry countries and their allies and client states, who possess an undemocratic veto power in the UN Security Council.
The UN, it appears, does not desire a nuclear-free Middle East but rather a lopsided unbalanced one full of minute flash points and strongmen wishing us all harm and insecurity.
After the Iraq and Afghanistan debacles, such actions by the UN Security Council only serve to further enrage the peacemakers and legitimize the war mongers. Grave mistake as it also greatly delegitimizes the UN and undermines its charter and long term value as a world body for peaceful dispute resolutions.
While the first round of sanctions against Iran were unanimously adopted, this latest round, and the fourth in as many years, was called “a mistake” by both Turkey and Brazil, who voted against the motion, while Lebanon abstained pointing to the clear lack of consensus within the council.
The senseless nature of the situation was immediately obvious as statements emerged from various quarters.
On the one hand there were the Chinese who argued for negotiations as the best way forward both before and after voting in favour of further sanctions.
This stance may have been intended as a clever public relations exercise, but its inherent contradictions are glaring.
China has gained a far greater share of Iran’s trade and investment opportunities over the past decade and has managed to further boost her opportunities by taking the West for a “voluntary sanctions” ride that is destined to further isolate the latter from Iran’s market.
There are several emerging markets and technological alternatives in the new post-financial crisis world economic order.
While Iran certainly does not need greater economic cooperation with the West, the latter’s insistence on limiting their own trade opportunities with one of the world’s largest economies – and one that owns vast amounts of natural gas and oil – is quite baffling.
It does, however, make good sense to Chinese strategists. They are obviously emerging as the shrewdest diplomats and long term strategists around following the old dictum: ”How to have your cake and eat it too.”
Russia too has played its geopolitical game shrewdly. Iran’s huge gas reserves threaten Russia’s dominance in supplying Europe and others. Further “voluntary sanctions” by the latter help to maintain Russia’s improving position. The Russian view is more Realpolitik though.
After all, old habits die hard…
It is for this reason that Russia can vote for sanctions suposedly designed to limit Iran’s nuclear capabilities, while at the same time planning to open a new nuclear power station in Iran this August. Nice moves… Can we dance with a balalaika too?
Russia is also talking about helping to build other new nuclear sites in Iran, and even reserves the right to supply Iran with the kind of weapons that would effectively defend Iran’s nuclear installations against any foreign attack. Ca-Tching… the cash is rolling into Kremlin and business couldn’t be better.
All of these ostensibly commercial interest “exemptions” were included in the UN resolution allegedly aimed at reducing Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Who is kidding whom here…
So a geopolitical game looks set to continue with comical consequences.
But for the United States that and all the possible outcomes from this travesty; isn’t a smart policy by a long shot. Instead of offering to the persian people and all of Iran, the promise of prosperity and engagement in the world body, the US is falling in it’s own sword, still believing that bleeding from a million cuts will not affect it’s future. Not so… as the Three Trillion dollars’ worth of useless wars will attest to the state of the US Economy today.
Iran offered a compromise and an open window to negotiate. Why blow it?
Why doesn’t Mrs Clinton get a hold of it? And drive a whole lot of mutual compromises through this window? Is mutuality not Diplomacy? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. N’est pas?
Why don’t engage Iran in the beautiful game dialog with the offer of intermediation from both Brazil and Turkey, both reliable regional powers and strong economies in a multipolar world. They offered a face saving deal we could built upon. Just use the diplomatic lens and power the levers to see it from Iran’s perspective. What do they want most? What do they crave?
Recognition, negotiation and an end to isolation. With prosperity and Democracy to come later along the way. Give them what they want. It costs nothing but it builds Goodwill and increases US popularity. But No. The Senator from New York will not budge. She gives nothing. A travesty of Miss Maggie without the cojones of steel.
And the Persians? Well, with nothing offered in return for its willingness to negotiate, Iran has no incentive to return to nuclear pr any other kind of talks.
With limited options left for talks with Iran, the US will continue to limp along in the Middle East,supporting dictators, stuck in quagmires, unable to strong arm the Israeli illogicals towards Peace and spending beyond its means, while anti-American sentiments are further boosted in the region. And with Israel fast becoming a pariah state of self shooting and auto-goal raving rabbinical doctrine ”footballers” masquerading as state policy makers, becoming an increasingly unstable ally; it might be time to reevaluate things and special relationships for the day in the future when the shite will hit the proverbial fan. Or it will come blowing from the trumpets of Jericho…
People of the Middle East want justice and prosperity. They dislike the Saudi American and the Israel American special relationship partiality and imbalance, equally. It is a time to wake up and smell the kaffoush.
Time to engage other players and parties as an opportunity to achieve the great American ideals as well as the long held aims and democratic beliefs that surely guide the US foreign policy agenda. Whether in Cairo, or Teheran or whether in Damascus and Riyadh, the US must strive to achieve it’s goals for justice and prosperity as a prelude to Democracy and reconciliation. That’s how it’s done and the bureaucrats and pencil pushing strategists working at State, know it already after a decade of useless conflict and no-nation building.
The take away lesson here is: Engage the people with promises and deliverables of Security and prosperity, not bombs and bullets. Certainly not with toothless self hating sanctions. Remember the Auto goal led in the net from the ”hands of clod” at the USA vs England game? Avoid that at any cost.
Furthermore, closer collaboration between Iran and the US would reduce American losses in Iraq and Afghanistan both, and reduce Russia and China’s influence there as well. Russia would much rather keep Iran and the US at each other’s throats, as would China who benefits the most by the US and NATO guarding it’s oil and strategic minerals mining operations for strategic resources in Iraq and Afghanistan. China being the largest resource exploiter in both countries and carrying a tremendous economic benefit from this business, that is far greater than the cost of war operations totaled from the US and NATO combined. Let alone the Political capital wasted by the US in thee never ending conflicts…
All that, without spending a penny on the ground for armed forces.
Confucian wisdom in geopolitics has never been seen so clearly before. Look and learn is not the road to edification the Buddha says… but prevention of reaction and solemn serenity of action just might be.
At the same time, that both the US and the European Union decline in economic terms and global influence, the Chinese ambitions are magnified and even fuel global dreams of continuous rise in global economic prominence. That is why now for the first time China feels secure enough to allow the Renminbi to float. The standing committee of the Politburo of the Peoples Party, just decided to let it float unpegged from the Dollar and it’s artificially low rates. That is raw power.
BTW: Have you heard the rumours from Beijing and Kremlin about an alternative currency standard?
Because it feels it can swagger at will – China now – it wills.
A new sheriff has come to town and his name isn’t John but more likely Xian… or even Wen. How is that for who is watching the watchers?
And what of the hapless UN that allowed this sanctions travesty to take place in it’s turtle bay mentality?
How is that working for You Mr General Secretary?
Can Ban Ki Moon add? Modern Arithmetic that is. Two and two in foreign policy equals seven, but that is another matter as now it seems the addition of 2+2 = 36. It really equals thirty six. And add to this a shameless display of what may be described as “nuclear apartheid” by the nuclear-armed culprits at the direct expense of the non-proliferation agenda, and the United Nations has scored thirty six auto goals against self. Well, enjoy the game.
On another note and after decades of aimless talks, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently managed to put Israel’s known illegal nuclear weapons on the agenda.
But what hope can the world really have for a serious debate on Nuclear Non proliferation, when it is only Iran, which has no nuclear weapons and which has endured more than 4,000 invasive IAEA inspections to date, that faces sanctions and not all the other miscreants?
It is hard to fathom what real long-term benefits the US is hoping to gain from its obstructionism and exceptionalism when it comes to the nuclear debate.
Perhaps the US administration imagined that by pressing for more sanctions just before the June 12 anniversary, it may undermine the Iranian regime. Wrong. It played in their hands and strengthened the fundamentalists. Simple Politics brothers. politics 101 and you forgot already. That is what alcohol does to the brain. After all these diplomatic Dos where the scotch, beer and wine flow effortlessly cause the downfall of other empires not just one.
Maybe the fundamental mullahs’ prohibition and sobriety are on to something at least around clear headedness. But even the Iranian opposition’s position on the nuclear issue is no less determined. And no Iranian group can hope to gain power by challenging the Iranian government on the basis of foreign dictates. To imagine otherwise is to misunderstand Iranians and the persian psyche fashioned in millenia of great culture and a proud empire, that ruled the world in it’s time. They understand long term diplomacy better than anyone at State does. Cyrus the great was and s the most quoted as father of Diplomatic rule of Fair Play and Engagement in fairness and justice.
Even today the lessons are not lost in the leadership. In fact, and despite the rhetoric, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has turned out to be the most willing partner for rapprochement with the US in a long time.
He has made several gestures, starting with a congratulatory letter to Barack Obama, the US president, upon his election, and a daring proposal for a nuclear fuel swap deal that was largely in line with a proposal made by the UN six months earlier.
But Obama has responded with New Year messages to the Iranian people and sanctions against their economy.
On no known occasion has the current – or previous – US administration made any direct approach to the Iranian leaders for talks. Quite the opposite: Whether it is the nuclear issue or Middle East affairs, Iran has been pointedly excluded from the list of invitees.
So, with the negotiations door firmly shut by the West, Iran has little option but to turn its back on the UN’s nuclear apartheid policies, and to continue to build its economy and strategic relations with the countries of the South, while those of the North continue to isolate themselves.
To the great majority of the people of Iran and the wider world, the UN Security Council is growing increasingly irrelevant and biased.
To the great people of US and the world, agonizing against Nuclear Proliferation; it must be said that the sanctions only effect has been that they crippled the UN.
Yours,
Pano
PS:
Yet who knows what the real aims of the ostensible US allies are?
Perhaps they are those with hidden aims too.
Maybe a hidden agenda is not just to elevate the US position versus the UN,
but also to ensure that US allies never face the consequences of their excesses,
including those on the nuclear issue.
PS2:
Yet when president Obama convened the council in DC for limitation of Nuclear weapons, he rightfully said that
all parties have to be accounted and reduced.
Wisely, Obama didn’t leave a window open for exemptions.
These smarter than though, hidden agenda practitioners, will find the door shut when push comes to shove and with no escape window they will realize they’ve painted themselves in a corner.
Aesop’s tale of the fox as well as Cato’s story told in Cicero testify to that.
