Towheed Feroze

A RECENT report in an international newspaper, widely available in Bangladesh, states that despite the strained relationship between America and Iran, there is possibly a thick layer beneath the apparent hostility that thrives on respect and admiration. After all, we have all heard of the saying that, in a competition of forces, which are almost equal, there is always that element of respect – maybe not conspicuous but certainly masked. The almost is used because, so far, we do not have any dependable evidence of Iran's nuclear capacity though we do know that their reactors are being used for 'peaceful purposes'.

Be that as it may, any third observer with a dispassionate view will possibly contend that even if Iran has the potential to build nuclear weapons, it will not be a bad thing as publicised by the west with an endless list of premonitions. The reason for the west's trepidation is not a matter that can be hidden with rhetoric or the regular verbose speeches on efforts of global peace and stability. The naked but simple truth is that they are afraid of losing authority. And the lame reason, which they use, that nuclear weapons in the hands of states where extremism rules over logic and whims dictate actions has run out of steam. By the way, which country was it to use the atomic bomb? Ah! Just to refresh our memory a little bit.

As the report in the abovementioned paper stated, there is a passion to embrace the best of America in Iran and the presence of bootlegged versions of western lifestyle in Baskin Robbins, Kabooky Fried Chicken and Starcups attest to that. In fact, there is nothing wrong in the American life that the common Americans lead. Indeed, it's safe to admit that the American life is in a way the celebration of life itself. There is freedom of choice, liberty in expressing thought and independence in cultural pursuit. And when all these three are combined, it's a lifestyle very few can refuse. However, Americanism was rejected in the past and it's this rejection that over the years fuelled a lot of anti-American sentiment around the globe.

Iran is not the only country where the United States has been taken with a grain of salt. Just a peek into history gives us a different story. To trace the time when stars and stripes ceased to stand for right and the just, one has to go back to the 1960s and the Vietnam War. Suffice to say, US involvement in Vietnam War was never supported by people with rudimentary sense of justice and the war was vociferously protested in the US by millions of Americans. Even with thousands of soldiers coming back with amputated legs and hands, the government failed to provide a solid reason. Again, neo-imperialist motives were being pursued under the guise of global welfare. In the end, the withdrawal of American forces from atop the US embassy via helicopters was simply ignoble. To save face, a US report said the US sabre was being sheathed but not subdued.

Nevertheless, the global image of America as a nation with expansionist objectives had been established. To look at the events post Vietnam, we see that, worldwide, there was an anti-US move on the rise, the ripples of which also hit Iran. So, it would not be incorrect to assume that the toppling of the pro-western Shah regime in 1979 was in a way related to what the US did in Vietnam. In fact, Iran had always looked at the US with suspicion. During the Iran-Iraq war, Saddam was supplied weapons from the west and this also deepened the mistrust. Sadly, when the present world with a brand new tech-savvy and dot-com dependent generation wants to learn history, they are just given parts of it where extremism, religious bigotry and insurgency are highlighted. What about the coordinated and premeditated set of events that are, to a large extent, responsible for the present global political state?

If there is a deep division in trust between the US and Iran, cause perhaps is not Iran's efforts to establish nuclear reactors but the US acts of the past where lies and fictitious objectives were meticulously presented under a benevolent layer. Coupled with reports that US looked the other way when Iraq stocked on biological weapons, this has only made the global powerhouse seem dubious. Interestingly an anti-American stance has never been confined to a few countries. Even in Bangladesh, back in the 1980s there was massive public protest against American intervention in other people's affairs.

Everything said and done, there is always a fascination for the American way of life and everywhere the common American people are seldom the object of hatred. With so many western influenced institutions in Iran, it becomes apparent that among the general people there is no animosity towards what the west in general stands for but a strict reservation against western governments that are opaque and ambiguous in their foreign policies.

This writer, from personal interaction with a group of Iranian young people in a journalistic tour to Turkey, was pleasantly surprised to find that, among them, the visions about a united world bonded by technology and gadgets are spotlessly clear. If the west thinks that any Iranian at heart harbours ill will towards the west then s/he would be wrong and on the other hand, if an Iranian thinks that every American wants to label Iran as a rogue state where extreme views thrive then that would be false too.

The reason why so much mistrust is circulated is because there is hardly any interaction between the people of these two countries at the civilian level and of course there is always the venomous propaganda machine on the move. The might of the propaganda force may sound overblown, but just pause and think how we have been indoctrinated for decades, by the west, into believing that the KGB was always bad. From films to books to comics, all forms of popular culture played its part in the propaganda and hence, our views were formed. In that context there is credence in the theory that in the case of Iran such a policy was adopted and pursued.

A few days ago, a Bangla newspaper published an article asking how modern day British children would be taught the history of their country that had slavery, forceful occupation, demeaning diplomacy involving the use of marijuana, remorseless persecution and other not so illuminating means as the driving forces in the quest for their empire. Would the children be taught only about the good deeds of the country or would they also be given a glimpse of the country's murky sides too? In the US, the race for the presidential election is on and it's quite apparent that there is a feeling of disquiet among the people about the presence of troops in Iraq as the basis on which the war was started has been proved to be wrong.

No matter how much the White House tries to justify the war in Iraq, which to a certain extent is responsible for the rise of militancy around the world, the unavoidable truth is that the move was stupid. The people of today are smart and they will not remain under any illusions for long. Maybe there is distrust between Iran and the US at the government level but if there is interaction between the people of these two countries in an informal setting, much of the distrust and antagonism that we see at this moment may diminish. Somehow, there seems to be some credence in the belief that it's only the governments and their selfish agendas that fuel unrest in the world. Common people's views are distorted only when they are made into guinea pigs of government propaganda.

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