Western-Style Democracy – No!

If you haven’t read the letter Mahmoud Ahmdinejad, president of Iran, has just sent to President Bush, maybe it’s because the media elite have deliberately kept it from you.

Why would they do that?

Well, according to Condi Rice – a leading candidate for worst secretary of state, ever – the first direct communication from an Iranian leader in 27 years “does not help resolve the standoff” over Iran’s nuclear programs.

But, if someone were to explicate to Condi the highly articulate well-reasoned Iranian letter she would understand that it should help resolve the standoff with Iran.

Because – as Ahmadinejad argues – the “standoff” with Iran has nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear programs.

Ahmadinejad correctly notes that “the announced goal” of the invasion of Iraq “was to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction.”

“[B]ecause of the possibility of the existence of WMDs in one country, it is occupied, around one hundred thousand people killed, its water sources, agriculture and industry destroyed, close to 180,000 foreign troops put on the ground, sanctity of private homes of citizens broken, and the country pushed back perhaps fifty years.

“At what price?

“Hundreds of billions of dollars spent from the treasury of one country [US] and certainly other countries, and tens of thousands of young men and women – as occupation troops – put in harm’s way, taken away from family and loved ones, their hands stained with the blood of others, subjected to so much psychological pressure that every day some commit suicide and those returning home suffer depression, become sickly, and grapple with all sorts of aliments; while some are killed and their bodies handed off to their families.

“On the pretext of the existence of WMDs, this great tragedy came to engulf both the peoples of the occupied and the occupying country.

“Later it was revealed that no WMDs existed to begin with.”

Ahmadinejad could have noted – but diplomatically doesn’t – what we Americans are just now beginning to appreciate.

A principal objective of the Bush-Cheney administration, and of the Clinton-Gore administration before them, has been to “restructure” the Middle East to “our” liking. And every neo-crazy and “human rights” activist – in and out government – and their media sycophants knew it.

By 1998, the UNSCOM inspectors were able to verify to the UN Security Council that all Iraqi WMD had been destroyed.

Nevertheless, Secretary of State Albright declared:

“We do not agree with the nations who argue that if Iraq complies with its obligations concerning weapons of mass destruction, sanctions should be lifted.”

The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 went even further:

“It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime.”

But Bush-Cheney needed an excuse and a rationale.

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, gave them the excuse.

How about a rationale? Quoth Deputy Secretary Defense Wolfowitz

“[We] settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on, which was weapons of mass destruction as the core reason.”

So, under that banner we effected “regime change” in Afghanistan and Iraq and are – as Ahmadinejad well realizes – on the verge of doing so in Iran.

“The people of many countries are angry about the attacks on their cultural foundations and the disintegration of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of care and compassion. The people of the world have no faith in international organizations, because their rights are not advocated by these organizations.

“Liberalism and Western-style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic systems.

“We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point – that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is: do you not want to join them?

“Mr. President, Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith in the Almighty and justice and the will of God will prevail over all things.”

So there you have it.

The U.S.-Iran “standoff” has never been about Iran’s IAEA Safeguarded nuclear programs.

According to Ahmadinejad it’s always been about the intentions of Bush to impose – by force if necessary – Western-style “democracy” on about a billion people.

Bush says God told him to do that. Ahmadinejad says Bush must have misunderstood him.

Author: Gordon Prather

Physicist James Gordon Prather has served as a policy implementing official for national security-related technical matters in the Federal Energy Agency, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Department of Energy, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of the Army. Dr. Prather also served as legislative assistant for national security affairs to U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon, R-Okla. -- ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee and member of the Senate Energy Committee and Appropriations Committee. Dr. Prather had earlier worked as a nuclear weapons physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico.