Iran Sends Signal of How They Wish to be Treated
Carah Ong, Iran Nuclear Watch, 4 April 2007
For those who have been monitoring the capture of 15 British soldiers in the disputed waters in the Northern Gulf, the peaceful settlement of the issue today demonstrates further evidence of how Iran is saying it wants to be treated by the international community. If the international community sits down and negotiates with Iran, the country will respond in kind. Perhaps the US should learn a lesson from this most recent experience. While there is no excuse for bellicose behavior from any party, whether the Iranians, British or Americans, my point is that Iran changed its behavior in the process when the British calmed their rhetoric and said they were willing to negotiate in this instance. This case demonstrates that strong, determined diplomacy can work and this is precisely the path that should be pursued in dealing with Iran on other issues, including Iraq security, the Israel-Palestine issue and Iran’s nuclear program.
Institute for Public Accuracy, *Iran *Syria, 4 April 2007
JAMES ABOUREZK
A former U.S. Senator from South Dakota, Abourezk has met several times with Syrian President Bashar Asad. Abourezk said today: “Because Bush has damaged relations with Syria so badly, any positive contact between U.S. government officials and the Syrian government should be welcome and could prevent a wider war. In one of my visits with Asad, he noted that Syria helped thwart a plot by Al-Qaeda against the U.S. in Bahrain. This saved U.S. lives but the Bush administration never acknowledged this. Instead, they’ve been bad-mouthing Syria so much, they undermine such cooperation and threaten U.S. lives. The U.S. Ambassador [to Syria] told me that Asad had stopped more than one Al-Qaeda operation by warning the United States. And now he’s stopped cooperation because of Bush’s antagonistic attitude.”
A MENACE TO US ALL – MAX HASTINGS AND IRAN, Media Lens, 4 April 2007
When the big fish of British journalism enter the much bigger pond of the American prestige press, they understand that success requires a willingness to massage elite American prejudices.
This kow-towing to claptrap is received all the more warmly because it represents an independent, second opinion from beyond America’s shores, thus confirming everything that is understood to be true about the world. This “truth” revolves around two key intellectual propositions. First, “we” are the good guys. Second, “they” are the bad guys.
Masters of the art include Niall Ferguson, Michael Ignatieff (Canadian-born but formerly a British media star), and of course Christopher Hitchens – keen supporter of US-UK war crimes, notably in Iraq.
Thus, also, in a recent New York Times article, Max Hastings – former editor of the Daily Telegraph and Evening Standard – works hard to push all the right anti-Iranian buttons.