Last week, for the first time since the 1979 Iranian revolution, the US president
spoke with his Iranian counterpart. Their 15 minute telephone call was reported
to open the door to further high-level discussions. This is a very important
event.
I have been saying for years that we should just talk to the Iranians. After
all, we talked to the Soviets when they actually had thousands of nuclear missiles
pointed at us! The Iranians have none, according to our own intelligence services.
I even suggested a few years ago that we should "offer friendship" to them.
Unfortunately, so many so-called experts have a stake in keeping tensions high
and pushing us to war. They did not want to hear what I was saying. It seems,
though, this is beginning to change now with these recent events.
The phone call was one of the most important moves away from war and conflict
in a long time. Taken with the Obama administration's decision to hold off
on bombing Syria, we should be encouraged.
It is also probably a good sign that this phone call has infuriated the neoconservatives
at home, the pro-war faction in Israel, and the hard-liners in Iran. Now that
a process of negotiation has begun, the chance of war has been significantly
reduced. The US is very unlikely to bomb Iran while it is talking with them,
and Israel is also unlikely to start a war while the US is at the negotiating
table with the Iranian leadership.
But we should also remain very cautious. Obama's war on Syria was only stopped
because the American people finally stood up and said "enough." The message
was received loud and clear and it shocked the neocons pushing war. They were
used to being in charge of foreign policy.
In a recent CNN
poll, more than 75% of Americans favored negotiations with Iran. This
is very good news, but those pushing for war will not give up that easily.
Believe it or not, some Members of Congress have recently introduced legislation
to authorize war on Iran - even as these first steps toward a peaceful resolution
of our differences begin to bear fruit!
So no, they will not give up that easily. There are many in the president's
own Cabinet who do not want to see US/Iranian relations improve. Even the president
himself seems unable to avoid provocative statements -- such as his claim that
the Iranians are only willing to talk because the sanctions have been so successful
in bringing them to the table. That is a false and unnecessary boast, and if
he continues in such a way he will destroy what progress has been made.
But we are in the majority now. There are more than three-quarters of us who
do not want war on Iran. It is essential that we keep the pressure on the Administration
to ignore the war demands in both political parties and among the so-called
foreign policy experts. There will be much more war propaganda coming our way
as the warmongers get more desperate. Americans must see this propaganda for
what it is. They should educate themselves and become familiar with alternative
news sources to gain the tools to counter the propaganda. We do have a better
chance at peace, but this is no time to let down our guard!
