What is Khatami Doing Here?
Sep 06, 2006 11:17 Filed in: Nation/World
As you are aware, former Iranian president Mohammad
Khatami is visiting the U.S. in a private capacity,
even though little of his visit is being reported by
the MSM. UK reporter Robert Fisk provides
a detailed summary of one of Khatami's
speeches.
Khatami's very presence in the U.S. is something of a surprise, as I would never have expected the Bush administration to grant permission for the visit of a former "Evil Axis" president under any circumstances. The fact that he attempted to liberalize Iran while president would have no weight with the neocons or the oil people in Washington; they employ democratic language to justify their authoritarian behavior much as Bill Clinton used the language of liberalism to further the conservative agenda of the Democratic Leadership Conference (DLC). Foreign governments who attend to the needs of their people are an obstacle to U.S. corporations in their quest for easy profits, and so are disfavored by the elites and the politicians of both parties that serve those elites.
This we know:
Khatami will undoubtedly meet with one or more representatives from the Whitehouse to discuss the relationship between the U.S. and Iran. He will likely return to Iran carrying a message of such sensitivity that it cannot be sent through the normal channels.
My guess (for what it's worth) is that it has finally dawned on Washington that to attack Iran carries unacceptable risks, and that it has painted itself into a corner with its campaign to demonize Iran. The Bushites are therefore looking for a face-saving way to declare success without having to go through with their threats. I predict that the figleaf will involve renewed inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities to which the U.S. and Iran can agree. If this is true, it will be good news. Iran is years away from building a bomb and the time to deal with that will be when the U.S. is in a better military and diplomatic posture.
Khatami's very presence in the U.S. is something of a surprise, as I would never have expected the Bush administration to grant permission for the visit of a former "Evil Axis" president under any circumstances. The fact that he attempted to liberalize Iran while president would have no weight with the neocons or the oil people in Washington; they employ democratic language to justify their authoritarian behavior much as Bill Clinton used the language of liberalism to further the conservative agenda of the Democratic Leadership Conference (DLC). Foreign governments who attend to the needs of their people are an obstacle to U.S. corporations in their quest for easy profits, and so are disfavored by the elites and the politicians of both parties that serve those elites.
This we know:
- Khatami is here with the blessings of both Washington and Tehran;
- He is no Chalabi or Palavi, but a highly respected philosopher-scholar, both inside and outside Iran and among both Sunni and Shiite moslems;
- He is highly critical of U.S. foreign policy and the Bush administration;
- His language is not that of a fanatic, but well-reasoned, almost friendly.
Khatami will undoubtedly meet with one or more representatives from the Whitehouse to discuss the relationship between the U.S. and Iran. He will likely return to Iran carrying a message of such sensitivity that it cannot be sent through the normal channels.
My guess (for what it's worth) is that it has finally dawned on Washington that to attack Iran carries unacceptable risks, and that it has painted itself into a corner with its campaign to demonize Iran. The Bushites are therefore looking for a face-saving way to declare success without having to go through with their threats. I predict that the figleaf will involve renewed inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities to which the U.S. and Iran can agree. If this is true, it will be good news. Iran is years away from building a bomb and the time to deal with that will be when the U.S. is in a better military and diplomatic posture.
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