Sunday, April 27, 2008

Admiral Mullen: lethal and malign influence in Iraq

The nation's top military officer said yesterday that the Pentagon is planning for "potential military courses of action" as one of several options against Iran, criticizing what he called the Tehran government's "increasingly lethal and malign influence" in Iraq. Why should Iran not have influence in Iraq? A large population of Iraq has either Iranian ancestry or is related to someone in Iran. The two nations have historical links spreading over several thousands year.

What are we doing in Iraq? Why are we in Iraq? We have military presence in Afghanistan, Iraq and military bases in several locations in Persian Gulf. Why are we there? These locations are not in our hemisphere.

What are we doing in Persian Gulf the front door to Iran a country 7500 miles from home? Please don’t report the same often stated phrase, we are there to protect our national interests. What national interests? “We are there to protect the Persian Gulf”, we have said. Are we protecting the region against England or France? Iran has not attacked any country during previous 250 years; she has been attacked, bombed, and threatened during this last 150 years.

Iranian dilemma has not changed over the last 150 years; still Iran is one step away from being dismembered, colonized and humiliated. Time magazine in an article named Persian Paradox (Monday September 08, 1941) reported:

“As for the poor Persians, their attitude was aptly summed up in a Punch cartoon of the period. It showed a Persian cat apprehensively sitting between a lion and a bear. "I will pat its head," says the bear, "and you shall stroke its tail." Pleads the cat: "But I have not been consulted!"

Today, the same game is being played with Iranian people; the players are the same actors, the same motivations. Have we not killed enough during this last 100 years? Yes, we have.

Our own national problems include: over burdened education costs, lack of professional employment opportunity, unaffordable health insurance, crumbling infrastructures, and failing of our national banks. We have very serious problems in our own hemisphere!

Please come back home! Our own problems at home are much more serious than interventions in the Middle East.

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