Spring Break
Iranian election news can only improve relations with U.S.
Egon Donnarumma
Issue date: 2/11/09 Section: Commentary
This week marks celebrations for the 30th anniversary of America's less-than-favorite regime in the Middle East. While the 1979 deposal of the Shah of Iran and the siege of the American embassy that November - and subsequent 444 day hostage crisis - haven't been a source of jubilation for most Americans these past 29 years, we should consider taking out the party hats this time for the big three-oh.
On Sunday, former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami announced he would be seeking re-election this June. This is good news in American-Iranian relations. It seems that finally, after a 29-year hiatus, there is a chance at de-escalation of tensions between the two nations.
Many of the contemporary problems in the Middle East can be traced back to the 1979 revolution. The ousting of the Shah meant the disruption of the balance of power in the region. From an American standpoint, one of the two "twin pillars" was lost, leaving only Saudi Arabia to balance radical states - like Iraq and Syria - as well as Soviet influence. The perceived post-revolution weakness of Iran was at the root of the Iraqi invasion in 1980 which led to an eight year war with countless casualties on both sides. Desperate after the war, Iraq invaded Kuwait in the hopes of cancelling war debts, which provoked American involvement.
Presently, Iran has been quite uncomfortable with such a large American military presence to its west and has been meddling in American efforts to stabilize a new Iraq, which would counter Iran's regional influence. Iran's support of terror groups, most notably Hamas and Hezbollah, has made peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians that much more challenging. Iran's desire to assert a "big stick" foreign policy has been behind the rhetoric of present Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Campaigning to battle corruption and fairly distribute Iran's oil wealth, Ahmadinejad has only served to isolate Iran internationally and lead his country into dire economic straits.
On Sunday, former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami announced he would be seeking re-election this June. This is good news in American-Iranian relations. It seems that finally, after a 29-year hiatus, there is a chance at de-escalation of tensions between the two nations.
Many of the contemporary problems in the Middle East can be traced back to the 1979 revolution. The ousting of the Shah meant the disruption of the balance of power in the region. From an American standpoint, one of the two "twin pillars" was lost, leaving only Saudi Arabia to balance radical states - like Iraq and Syria - as well as Soviet influence. The perceived post-revolution weakness of Iran was at the root of the Iraqi invasion in 1980 which led to an eight year war with countless casualties on both sides. Desperate after the war, Iraq invaded Kuwait in the hopes of cancelling war debts, which provoked American involvement.
Presently, Iran has been quite uncomfortable with such a large American military presence to its west and has been meddling in American efforts to stabilize a new Iraq, which would counter Iran's regional influence. Iran's support of terror groups, most notably Hamas and Hezbollah, has made peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians that much more challenging. Iran's desire to assert a "big stick" foreign policy has been behind the rhetoric of present Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Campaigning to battle corruption and fairly distribute Iran's oil wealth, Ahmadinejad has only served to isolate Iran internationally and lead his country into dire economic straits.
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