Hypocrisy and Philanthropy

What are the real objectives behind the campaign against war on Iran? What makes some people think that it has to be in support of the Iranian government? I have come across these questions very often and have been explicitly told that instead of denouncing war against Iran, we had better put all the pressure of propaganda on the Iranian government to give up its nuclear ambitions. This might make sense if we assess things in a simplistic manner. This kind of attitude is clearly based on the assumption that the US is the world supreme and super power and therefore is very well capable of making war. Thus the only way to stop war is to convince the weak part to avoid any situation which would give the powerful side any reason to start this war.

It is my conviction that this way of looking at the issue is based on a number of fallacies. First of all, if we believe that the US is a superpower which would even ignore the decisions and agreements of the international community and the UN and is always prepared to start a war wherever it wishes pre-emptively, then there is absolutely no point in convincing Iran to give up its ambitions. This idea is obviously based on the assumption that a war is inevitable and what we must do is to minimize the casualties. Personally, I do not think this is why and how I should be against war. I have, from the very beginning of the issue, had some theoretical perspectives which encompass a wide range of issues, namely the future of democracy all around the world.

What is at stake today is not simply the sovereignty of Iran and its territorial rights. Nor is it merely an increasing threat of terrorism around the world. We have to be first of all alerted that the media and propaganda are shaping our minds the way they wish, with their stereotype terrorism, Islam and Iran. These patterns are at best useful for simplistic minds. This attitude fails to notice the little differences which can have massive impacts. Democracy itself is crumbling from within in a country which represents the most powerful bonds of democracy and civil society. I believe we have a unique opportunity in targeting the debasement of all civil patterns of life and all democratic values that mankind has achieved so far. It is by no means a dispute where you would say it should be either against the US or against the Iranian government. It is true that there may be many Americans and many Iranians who are in favour of war, but being against war from this perspective neither means that we are allies of the Iranian government or in favour of continuation of suppression and infringement of individual liberties, nor does it mean that we have a specific hostility with the Americans. It is true that in the minds of many Iranians, American interventions have left very painful memories. Yet, it does not mean that one should forget realistic and critical approaches to serious issues such as war which can have a global impact on the lives of all people in Iran. This problem cannot be solved unless there is a unanimous will on both sides. Let us not forget that it was never Iran who threatened that it would invade the US or Israel. They have always responded to the threats that they have received from them. Suppose somebody threatens to invade the UK for any reason. What do you expect the British reaction to be? A peaceful and apologetic one? Or suppose the Iranians had already threatened that they would invade the US (suppose they had the power to do so), how would the Americans respond?

In any event, one of the immediate results that I wish to see out of this media campaign is to undermine the legitimacy of per-emptive war started by any country in the world for any reason. This seems to me to be well founded in humanistic and philanthropist values that I know. After all, we do not have any hidden agenda to serve either the American or Iranian politicians. We are first of all human beings and then Iranians. This war is an infringement of human values first. Let us stick to our common roots of humanity first, although there are thousands of their reasons to denounce this war.

*Daryoush Mohammad Poor