Détente or Hidden Agendas? A sign of “The Times”

by Gilad Atzmon for Palestine Think Tank

Back in 2003 I wrote, “If ‘world peace’ is our main concern, we must achieve a balance of power, we must let the oppressed people of this world have access to the most advanced weaponry…. Balance of power is the only key to peace.” Nowadays, when Israel and its supportive lobbies are doing everything within their powers to drag us all into a third world war, I find it necessary to say it again. The only way to spare the Middle East and the entire world from another devastating cycle of bloodshed is to let the Iranians have their nuclear toy. But it goes even further, seemingly, the only way to save the Jewish state from its merciless parade of belligerent omnipotence is to let Iran join the nuclear club ASAP. The only thing that may cool down the Zionist militant genocidal enthusiasm is an overwhelming Iranian might of deterrence.

But it isn’t only Iran. The only possible way to bring peace to the region is to equip Syria, the Hezbollah and the Hamas with the exact weaponry that would help make the Israelis think twice. As much as the Israelis love to punish their enemies they really hate to pay the ultimate price. Once the Israelis become aware of the clear possibility of their own destruction, they may rapidly develop some real inclination towards peace and reconciliation.

Yet, we have to remember that Israel is not alone in this lethal game. According to the Sunday Times, “President George W Bush has told the Israeli government that he may be prepared to approve a future military strike on an Iranian nuclear plant…Despite the opposition of his own generals and widespread skepticism that America is ready to risk the military, political and economic consequences of an airborne strike on Iran, the president has given an ‘amber light’ to an Israeli plan to attack Iran’s main nuclear sites with long-range bombing sorties”.

Seemingly, we are not in any shortage of lunatics. For more than a while, we are fully aware that the road from Jerusalem to Washington is a soaking red route. However, there is something rather faulty or even amusing in the western argument for a war. According to our western analysts, President Ahmadinejad is really unpopular amongst his people and he is on his way out. The Sunday Times’ editorial informed us yesterday that: “Last year a Tehran website poll of 20,000 people found that 62.5% of those who voted for him (Ahmadinejad) in 2005 would not do so in next year’s presidential election.” I am slightly puzzled. If this is indeed the case, if the Iranian president is politically ruined, why are we so keen to initiate another world war? Wouldn’t it be better to wait for a few months and let this Ahmadinejad be ousted by his own people? Apparently, The Sunday Times and our very many Neocons do not believe their own lies.

In its editorial The Sunday Times tries to give the impression that Ahmadinejad is taking his people into war just to divert the attention from his policy that is failing at home. “With inflation running at an estimated 14% and one-third of the population unemployed, Ahmadinejad’s goal of ‘putting the petroleum income on people’s tables’ is as distant as ever.“

I would be rather suspicious about the Sunday Times’ reading of Iranian current internal affairs as much as I was suspicious of the paper’s reading of Iraqi WMD situation. However, I better admit it, I do not live in Iran. In fact, I live in the West, in London if to be specific. And it is actually in London where I see a growing dismay having to do with very cloudy financial predictions. It is in London where I read about the collapse of major western financial institutions. It is in London where I detect a growing recession and a threat of financial depression.

I ask myself whether The Times’ faulty reading of Ahmadinejad is nothing but a banal projection? I assume that this is indeed the case. In fact it is the other way around. It is our western leaders who are failing to provide for their constituencies and citizens. It is our Western leaders who are taking us to wars just to cover their disastrous malfunctioning. It is our western leaders who are about to initiate a world war just to whitewash the collapse of the western capitalistic dream.

One has to be blind not to see it all.