What’s the fuss about Iran?

Feb 01, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,

A number of people have been criticising President Jagdeo’s trip to Iran. Frankly, I am not sure what the fuss is all about.

I am especially bothered by the fact that some of those who have voiced their opinions have never read a book on the foreign policy of small states, or for that matter the foreign policy of any kind of state. Others who may have read such books have never written a single peer reviewed article on the subject. I am sorry, but a few pieces in the newspapers really do not count.

Let us get something straight. Guyana is a sovereign state and it has the right to pursue an independent foreign policy. That foreign policy should be and is indeed geared towards the national interest of this country. There is nothing unique here, because that is what all states do.

The United States of America is no different. Consider, for instance, that as President of the United States, George W. H. Bush was, according to many credible sources, (such as Trans Africa Forum) involved in the forceful removal of President Aristide of Haiti. Aristide was exiled in South Africa after Jamaica received a stern warning that keeping the popular Haitian President in the country would be seen as a hostile act by the United States.

Today the same George W. H. Bush is heading a fund-raising drive (with President Clinton). You can be rest assured that the fundraiser is not simply only driven by humanitarian concerns, but by the larger national interest of the United States.

The U.S. certainly do not want Venezuela and Cuba to become active in Haiti, and this despite the fact that Cuba has been a valuable partner to the Haitian people for a long time. The U.S. is also deeply concerned about a potential ‘boat people crisis’.

The point is simple. States do what are in their best national interest. Guyana is no different. President Jagdeo visit to Iran must be put in perspective. Consider the following points:

(a) Iran was not the only country visited on the Middle East trip. President Jagdeo and his team visited the United Arab Emirates, a thoroughly capitalist place where the definition of democracy is not prefaced by the word liberal. The UAE is a good friend of the U.S.

(b) The President and his delegation also visited Kuwait – another friend of the United States.

(c) Informed sources told me that the visit to Iran came after many years of consideration. Guyana has received many invitations from the Government of Iran to visit that country. The trip was, for all practical purposes, exploratory in nature.

(d) The most important outcome of the trip, from a Guyanese perspective, is that Iranian skilled personnel will assist with the mapping of Guyana’s mineral resources.

Critics have said that President Jagdeo should have never raised concerns about the rescue and relief missions in Haiti while in Iran. Why not? The President was in Iran when major concerns were raised by practically everyone in Haiti about the bungled humanitarian efforts in the devastated country. Keep in mind that it was mostly American journalists who were making these observations.

As a senior Caribbean statesman President Jagdeo would have been remiss if he did not lend his voice to the call for urgent action in Haiti.

There are some other aspects of the U.S. led mission in Haiti that the critics did not touch, this being the result of total ignorance of American Grand Strategy, or of overconsumption of CNN.

The United States took control of entry and exit into Haiti. No one knows what was said to the Haitian President for this surrendering of sovereignty. Anyone who knows about anything about the ways in which Great Powers deal with vulnerable nations, however, would know that it is not unusual for the Great Powers to use threats to get their way.

Those who are not familiar with these techniques might way to read the memoirs of former Secretaries of States such as Henry Kissinger or James Baker.

Keep this in mind. An aircraft with CARICOM officials was not allowed to land in a sister CARICOM country in a time of need. A Brazilian aircraft was denied also landing. In the meantime, the U.S. quickly gave clearance for a mission all the way from Israel (a great friend of the U.S.) to land. Is it worth remembering that the U.S. waited 65 years to recognise Haiti as a state, while it took 11 minutes to do the same for its Middle East friend? (On a technical note I should point out that Israel and the U.S. are not allies).

I quite agree that Iran is not a democracy. By the same token I must also insist that the current state of Iran is, in part, due to U.S. foreign policy. It was the U.S. that removed a democratically elected leader in Iran in the 1950’s. It was also the U.S. that installed the Shah – who I must tell Freddie Kissoon, should never be mentioned in the same sentence with Nelson Mandela. Kissoon should speak to the thousands of Iranians who had their families tortured and murdered by the Shah of Iran. Incidentally, it was also the U.S. that provided the initial impetus for an Iranian nuclear programme.

Small states should never mistake their own sovereignty and their idealism for power in terms of real politicks. Maurice Bishop made that mistake by openly challenging the U.S. He had some Guyanese advisers!

By the same token, in the face of extraordinary circumstances, such as in Haiti today, small states should not simply ‘roll over and play dead’. President Jagdeo did the right thing to speak up. There is no reason why he should have waited to make his statement, presumably on Caribbean soil.

Finally, the critics seem to be oblivious to the fact that President Obama has called for an opening of dialogue with Iran. The neoconservative right-wing in the United States does not want this. They want another Iraq. How strange it is that the Guyanese critics, most of whom actually live in the United States and Canada, are on the side on the American NeoCons. Do these Guyanese critics also share the anti-Muslim hysteria that is deep in the bosoms of the American neoconservative movement?

President Jagdeo went on an exploratory trip to the Middle East. The major intent and outcome of the trip was dialogue. What’s wrong with that?

Dr. Randy Persaud

 

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