An Iranian Perspective: Obama and the Middle East

Iran Review has just posted an article by Dr. Mahmoud Reza Golshanpazhooh of the Tehran International Studies and Research Institute, on President Obama's foreign policy and the Middle East. I found the analysis intriguing both in its expression of Iran's interest in the region and in its "window of hope" for the new Administration. At the same time, there is an uncertainty about the substance of US policy and a warning that the window can be closed: "The US president must remember that candle of hope is not eternal and can be put out easily and due to a single incident."

Middle East: The Difficult Test of Hope in Obama

There may be no escaping of the fact that in the extremely realistic world of international relations the presence of a window of hope may be a source of optimism and pessimism at the same time. In fact, to the same extent that positive forces may be encouraged over the possibility of change and pin their hope in future horizons, uncertainty and suspicion plus bitter realism may work to eliminate the same window of hope. Here in addition to honesty and truthfulness whose requisites is the window of hope, hard work and faith in the path chosen as well as firmness in treading this path is vital for the strength of positive forces and thwarting its negative impacts.

“Change” and “hope” were two main points in the statements Barack Obama made before and after US presidential election. His words for many people of the world breathed life into the last rays of hope which were gradually fading away under the eight-year rule of the Neo-Cons.

In the Middle East region, the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan apparently shifted the battlefield from the American soil and the heart of New York but for the people of the region they had no outcome but death and destruction, floods of refugees and escalation of ethnic and religious disputes. Contrary to the propaganda, neither Iraq became safer compared to the time of Saddam Hussein nor Afghanistan became more stable than what it was under the Taliban.

As far as the Israeli-Palestinian differences were concerned not only they were not settled but were further aggravated. In fact, the two recent Israeli wars in Lebanon and Gaza were added to the list of unending tragedies in the region. Arms purchases severely increased and the climate of the region became strictly security oriented. Iran’s nuclear issue quickly turned into a security matter from a technical and scientific case. Four UN resolutions plus numerous other sanctions imposed by Europe and US increased the pressures on Tehran.

With the coming to power of Obama the crisis-riddled Middle East region had just one expectation from the American president: “Materialization and application of rationality in the US foreign policy in the region.” The kind of rationality to understand why the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has remained unresolved for 60 years; why the region has become a hub for training extremist religious forces; why Iran despite all the sanctions and pressures considers access to nuclear technology its unquestionable right; why the liberated Iraq cannot leave one single day behind without witnessing confrontations and bombings; why America’s biggest enemy, i.e., Al-Qaeda hails from Saudi Arabia, a formal US ally; why Israel is facing more complicated and tougher security problems every day; why suicide operations against US and NATO forces would never end; and why the idea of a stable and tranquil Middle East is becoming a dream never come true.

At present, one cannot perceive a specific sign from Obama’s foreign policy. The new US foreign policy team has tried to get to know the issues and cope with them cautiously and refrain from taking hasty decisions. Probably this is the same window of hope glimmering in the heart of inhabitants of the Middle East region. Can one hope that a sound and intelligent policy based on recognition and taking into account all the open and hidden potentials in the complicated issues of the region would show to the Middle Easterners that rationality is back in the US foreign policy? Can the taboo of Washington’s unsparing and unconditional support for Israel be broken in the mind of the regional people? Can something be done for the people of the region to believe that the US military presence in the region does not serve its personal interests or is not for control and supervision over the oil production and supply routes? Can the belief in America’s double standards in dealing with political, security and human rights issues of the region be erased from the people’s mind? Can the emotional and irrational approach towards Iran’s nuclear issue lead to clearing the region of nuclear arms? Can one be hopeful that IAEA inspectors would conduct at least one snap inspection of Israel’s nuclear installations? Can Hamas and Hizbollah be seen from a new and different look?

I am confident that the regional people’s candle of hope is still burning and many of them are precisely and carefully scrutinizing all the behaviors and reactions of President Obama to get a scent of change and rationality out of them. However, the US president must remember that candle of hope is not eternal and can be put out easily and due to a single incident.