President Bush's State of the Union

One Small Step for the U.S., One Giant Leap for the Iranian Opposition Forces

President George Bush in his State of the Union correctly identified the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) as a terrorist-promoter that is seeking weapons of mass destruction. Hopefully, his new position on the IRI will put an end to the recent attempts to reestablish U.S. relationships with the Islamic terrorist government of Iran.

For the Islamic government of Iran, every single statement in President Bush's State of the Union put another nail in its coffin. For the millions of Iranians suffering under one of the most oppressive governments ever known to mankind, every statement was like a breath of fresh air.

Finally the U.S. has uncovered the camouflage. Finally the U.S. realizes that the "conservative movement," the "reformist movement," the "third force movement," etc., are all strictly names of games designed by the IRI to mislead the world and to further prolong the IRI's existence so that it can continue to (1) practice its tyranny and aggression against innocent Iranian people, (2) further destroy Iran's social, economic, and political infrastructure, and (3) promote and support terrorism worldwide.

So, how should the U.S. fight this producer and promoter of terrorism, the IRI? Should the U.S. use force, or should it apply other techniques, to fight and finally destroy the totalitarian IRI? What should be the next step for the U.S.?
Some Sad Realities

Iran and Iranians have already suffered enough from U.S. policies and mismanagement. As we all know, the U.S. and the British governments destroyed the most important democratic movement in Iran in 1953 by toppling Dr. Mosadegh's government via a CIA-funded, CIA-designed coup d'etat. We all also know that the U.S. government provided the Iraqis with satellite pictures of Iranian army movements during the 8-year war, thus contributing to more than 600,000 Iranian deaths, more than 1 million Iranians injured, more than $400 billion of destruction to Iran's infrastructure, and more. These and many other examples show that Iran and Iranians have already suffered tremendously from U.S. action and inaction.

Of course, Iranians too are to blame. They too are accountable for their own action and inaction. But the influence of a giant force such as the U.S. cannot be ignored or taken lightly.

More Sad Historical Realities

When the Iran-Iraq war started, Khomeini said, "This war is a gift from God to the Islamic Republic of Iran." Khomeini knew how a hostile external attack on the sovereignty of their beloved country would affect the Iranian people: It would distract Iranians from their own internal problems and from their Islamic government's inability to govern and its oppression. He was right!

The 8-year-long Iran-Iraq war did indeed keep Iranians busy defending their beloved country, thus buying time for the IRI to gradually build the infrastructure of its police state and to destroy or weaken government-opposition forces. In this way the IRI successfully put a temporary stop in the struggle of the Iranian people to achieve a secular and democratic government, and at the same time it prolonged the IRI's existence in Iran.

Military Action Is Not the Solution

Military action against Iran and Iranians will only further prolong the fascist IRI government. And military action will not end IRI-supported terrorism. To stop IRI-based terrorism we must replace the current shameful totalitarian IRI system with a secular and democratic government in Iran. Only a secular and democratic government in Iran will be able to utilize all of Iran's resources to destroy the terrorist bases in Iran.

The Islamic government of Iran can NOT operate without terrorism (both internally and worldwide). To stop IRI-based terrorism, the IRI MUST GO! Changing the flavor or the "latest version" of the current barbaric system will not end IRI-based terrorism. And any surgical military action against selected targets in Iran will only strengthen this barbaric system and prolong its existence in Iran.

The Solution

If the goal is to merely hurt Iran and Iranians, the U.S. government has already done more than its share. But if the goal is to fight terrorism and destroy this fast-spreading disease by its roots, then a series of well-planned long- and short-term strategies should be clearly defined and effectively executed, strategies that will ensure a win-win model for both the U.S. and the Iranians now struggling for a secular democratic government.

The U.S. Government could greatly help the Iranian people in their struggle to achieve freedom and to establish a secular democratic system in Iran-and at the same time create a strong bond between the two nations and erase past mistakes:

The U.S. should support the Iranian people's wish for a secular democratic government.

The U.S. Government should put direct pressure on all its G8 allies to limit their relations with Iran to the simple export of foods and medicines. If they are to help, all countries must not participate in economic or cultural programs that would in any way prolong the IRI's dictatorship. So far, the European oil companies Royal Dutch/Shell, TotalFinaElf, and ENI have signed deals worth billions of dollars, ignoring Washington's Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, under which the United States seeks to bar foreign firms from making major financial commitments in Iran. And of course others, like BHP, are also working with the IRI and funding IRI-based terrorism. This hypocrisy MUST BE STOPPED.

The U.S. should funnel all IRI funds now available in the U.S. to the Iranian opposition forces.

The U.S. should stop all the IRI propaganda activities in the U.S. by banning any organizations and individuals receiving IRI funds, whether directly from Iran or from IRI sources of income in the U.S.

The U.S. should further support the Iranian opposition forces by providing them with sufficient radio and TV capabilities to broadcast to the Iranian people inside Iran (perhaps from stations maintained in Afghanistan).

And finally, the U.S. should publicly and actively support a national referendum in Iran under international observation so that the Iranian people (inside and outside of Iran) can freely vote for their desired form of government.

In these ways, the U.S. could indeed help the Iranian opposition forces take a giant step forward, help establish a new relationship and humanistic bond with the Iranian people, thwart current IRI-based terrorism, and contribute to peace and harmony in the Middle East.

Farhad Mafie