Iran: Searching for friends in low places
By Joseph L. Giacalone / joe@theklaxon.com / 03.01.2010
Updated on: 02.28.10 at 6:50 pm
In an effort to divert Iran’s citizens from the political turmoil that is occurring inside of the country, Iranian leaders are scrambling to re-establish their best defense yet—the resurrection of the bogeymen—Israel and the United States.
“Little Satan” and “Great Satan” make for great illusionary enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, most of the world sees through their thin veil of radicalism.
Iran probably is not as close to a nuclear bomb as they want the rest of the world to think. But, by ramping up the enrichment of uranium and, therefore, the rhetoric, they have garnered much attention from the West.
Nobody—not even Russian—wants to see them with an atomic weapon. It has become a chess match of epic proportions. A wrong move by either side will send reverberations from Moscow to Washington, D.C.
What Iranian’s leaders really are hoping for is that the U.S. and Israel are so spooked that they are provoked to strike Tehran too early. This is the gift that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wants most.
Both men have their backs against the wall, and in order to save their jobs and maybe even their lives, they must galvanize their people’s attention in a direction other than towards their shaky government. The crackdown on political dissidents in Iran has not helped their cause.
Iran is infamously known as the greatest sponsor of terror in the world and they are living up that reputation.
Khamenei recently visited with a top leader of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, while Ahmadinejad met with the Syrian president, as well as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
By attempting to solidify the enemies of Israel under one banner, Iran’s leaders are taking a calculated risk. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are not the same terrorist organizations they were several years ago—both have gone political with their fight and both have drawn the ire of al-Qaeda number two chieftain Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, for being “soft.”
To add to Iran’s woes, there is a tremendous American military presence in the region that is pressing on Iran like a vice. Americans on the west and east borders of Iran can strike all parties involved at anytime and anyplace.
The gig is up and Iran’s leaders know it.
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