Dishing It Out
Amazing, how it's such a given that the worst excesses of human rights abuses occur in regimes whose totalitarian agenda will not permit of any freedoms among their own populations, and whose yardstick of international relations is one of an intransigent bully. Right, it's not that in and of itself that is the amazing thing, it's the fact that these regimes think so highly of themselves that they feel they're above and beyond international reproachDissent from within can be handled very nicely by incarceration, torture, sometimes death.
That formula proves extremely successful in persuading those from within the purview of the regime that their puny attempts at change, their wish to achieve liberation from their tormentors will remain an unfulfilled dream.
But when the international community, looking in from beyond the oppressive borders of repression find fault with the regime, the sensitivity of the dictators comes to the fore, and they cry foul. No one's business but their own, they seethingly respond; internal decision-making and so it will remain.
We see this in North Korea, in Burma, in Sudan, in Zimbabwe, in Iran, and that's just for starters; the world has more than enough dysfunctional political/religious/ideological regimes that function through the abuse of their own populations, and who eagerly threaten the stability of other countries. Sometimes, as in the case of Iran - going so far as to delight in threatening the very existence of countries of whom they disapprove.
What quantifies these rogue regimes in the world community of nations is their sublime self-assurance that their religion or ideology has qualified them for unquestioned leadership, one they prosecute malevolently and cruelly, punishing their own people while in the process of establishing a fundamentalist theocracy or an ideological dictatorship. They do not seek validation from the outside world, knowing full well that their agenda is viewed with extreme distaste.
What also distinguishes them is their attempts to hide the most serious of their abuses. Alongside their defiance of criticism. But their thin skins when they're held up to ridicule or criticism also causes them to claim that they're being unfairly singled out when there are regimes - usually democratic ones - whose institutions they accuse of human-rights abuses. Iran is a hard-core human-rights abusing state. And it enjoys pointing to Canada as an exemplar of human-rights abuses.
Iran is a world-class bully - not in the same league as the United States, fair to say. More perhaps on the Russian model and doing its best. And while the U.S. throws its considerable political, social, cultural and military weight around, it just happens to uphold the ideal of personal freedoms, of liberal democratic action with a tinge of righteousness. In its aspiration to become the ascendant nation in the Middle East geography, Iran is spreading its hateful ideology and persuading some of its neighbours to join its state-sponsored terror club.
And while other Middle East nations, Iran's Arab neighbours, don't share its extreme ideology of Shia fundamentalism, and fear that country's rising prominence in the geography - including its proxy terror militias capable of undermining legitimate governments, they also seem incapable of responding. Other than to ponder the feasibility of themselves acquiring nuclear weapons capabilities to offset those that Iran is featuring for itself.
Throwing its weight around internationally includes singling out the State of Israel for its presence on sacred Islamic land as a vile usurper, an illegal and immoral occupier of Arab land. Justifying, should such justification even be required in the shadowy world of Islamist fascism, their proud claims to the intent of destroying Israel. All in due time. Meanwhile, they're busy ushering in their nuclear agenda.
Of course all of this is extremely nervous-making on the international scene. Strangely enough, while the world has been treated time and again to Iran, through its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proclaiming, even from within the United Nations, that it intends to be the means through which Israel will be annihilated, the international community has barely responded. But when a testily incautious Israeli cabinet minister issues an unequivocal statement that it's more likely Israel will pre-empt any Iranian strike, the world sits up and takes notice.
As though a jittery energy industry hasn't been fluctuating enough, that warning statement caused an immediate reaction of higher world prices for a barrel of oil. No comment when Israel is threatened. An immediate shudder of apprehension when Iran is counter-threatened. It's perfectly all right for a rogue nation to directly threaten the existence of a well established liberal democracy, but a matter of panic when that same democracy states it can and will defend itself.
Simple enough: the international community's concerns with respect to Iran's development of nuclear capability, expressed through IAEC censure and pleas from the United Nations has been spectacularly unsuccessful. Sanctions and the threat of further sanctions have accomplished nothing positive. Iran has enjoyed itself toying with the fears of the international community. Israel, and in some measure the United States, have declared they will have none of this nonsense.
If development of nuclear weapons continues, as it has been doing, this leaves Israel with little choice but to destroy those aspirations. This is, after all, an existential problem for the Jewish state. Who will come to their defence? The Arab world, themselves in fear of being dominated by force by Iran? The destruction of the State of Israel might solve some of their problems with respect to settling the Palestinian issue, but this would be a mere stop-gap. Before the Arab world is back at each others' throats again.
So Iran is now on the receiving end of the quiet threat in response to their joyful threats. Which doesn't appear to sit well with that theocratic regime. Iran has protested formally to the United Nations. A letter sent from Iran's UN mission to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council urges them to produce a "firm response" to the remarks indulged in by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz.
Truth is, Israel favours the quiet approach. They leave the bullish rhetoric to their Persian friends, ordinarily. Mr. Mofaz is in deep hot water from among his own parliamentary colleagues for uttering the statement: "If Iran continues its nuclear weapons program, we will attack it." Mr. Mofaz, despite the censure his statement has earned him from within the Knesset, was merely stating the obvious. Iran has had due warning.
So, what's amazing here in a sense, is that Iran feels itself justified in threatening the existence of a neighbour, and remains obdurate to international condemnation, however mild, while at the same time exciting herself over the logical response to her threats. Amazing that any one or any regime could feel so incredibly entitled to violence, but shrink in distaste and fear when their statement is turned around on themselves.
You want to dish out the nuclear threat, prepare to absorb the fall-out.
Labels: Israel, Middle East, Political Realities, Technology
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, June 08, 2008
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