On a personal level, I met Juan Cole on several occasions and I know that he is quite a decent guy, but, and as is the case with so many of my colleagues in the academic circles, I cannot help but be sharply critical when such nonsensical arguments as we find here are made.
The theory that a pivot to Iran, sealed with an agreement regarding her nuclear program, will prevent the rise of a “Sino-Russo-Iranian condominium” in the Caspian Region and Central Asia have been around for many years, and, if we are to believe that they actually have a clear policy, this might indeed be what’s on the mind of President Obama and his trusted advisers, not to mention their myriad supporters in liberal think tanks and the halls of academia. Once reached, the deal will allow sanctions on Iran to be lifted, and this move, so the thinking goes, will gradually facilitate a rapprochement between Iran and the West, weaning her off of her growing reliance on Russia and China. Still, and while the theory can be made to sound compelling by its advocates, the rationale behind it is actually pretty lame if not downright delusional.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he idea that Iran is entitled to have a sphere of influence in the Middle East ignores the wishes and aspirations of the majority population in the region. From a religious point of view, the majority of the population in the region is made up of Sunni Muslims, and most of those, while demonstrably religious, may not want to live under theocratic rule, especially when the version under consideration is premised on an extremist interpretation of Shiism. In terms of nationality, the majority population in Middle East is made up of Arabs, Turks and Kurds, and one of whom relish the prospect of Persian domination.
A rare point of agreement between the critics and advocates of a deal with Iran starkly captures the nature of my own disaffection with it and with the current state of affairs in our world. The point simply put is this: the deal is being inked with Syrian, Iraqi and Yemeni blood.
The Ammar Abdulhamid Archive 