The Iranian factor

The continuous fanning of the idea that Iran is our archenemy in this embattled region has become a cash cow for the United States of America under the Trump administration. Iran as a country harbors ideas of bigger influence in the MENA and WANA region and would like to benefit from its geopolitical position to expand that sphere of influence  into Central Asia.

We, as Arabs, should not put the war option against Iran as our plan A.  We should negotiate. Of course, the Iranian style of negotiation can be a long protracted process, but it could pay off in the long run. By opting to antagonise Iran, we Arabs have gained nothing and lost immeasurable amounts of wealth. Weakening Iranian leverage in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan is not tenable right now. 

Israel is putting its military muscle on display, and in a recent article, published in The New York Times, Thomas Friedman cautioned and actually predicted that an eminent war will soon break out between Iran and Israel. He concluded his article by saying “fasten your seat belts”. I beg to differ with Mr. Friedman. Israel knows only too well that this war is going to be very costly and I doubt if it ever does it alone.

Thus, we hear war drums beating in Washington. At the same time, we hear President Trump asking for trillions of dollars as reparations and compensation for the efforts and lives of Americans lost in order to make the oil-rich countries wealthy and secure. 

I really would like to see a long debit and credit table to see who has been bleeding more. I am sure that the US had ensured it got more from Arab oil countries than it paid. Arabs had nothing to do with the Afghanistan war, Iranian revolution or even the rise of the Taliban or Al Nusra. Let someone do the audit.

Now, if we are to reserve our dignity as Arabs, put the Palestinian issue back on track and bring a promise of peace to the region, we need to negotiate our way with all parties and Iran first. Otherwise, we will lose all our oil proceeds stashed in dollar-denominated assets. It is time to look for a new political paradigm.