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Iran and the Arab World
Again we call attention to the WORLD PRESS REVIEW, which publishes in
translation articles about world affairs from the press of many countries.
It makes Americans realize that other countries do not share their views on
international developments. The cover stories of the March 1998 issue are
devoted to "Iran's new game." One article from the Cairo newspaper AL
MUSSAWAR is entitled "Repairing Iran's Ties With the Arab World. The
Islamic Summit in Tehran [of December 1997]". The basic fact is that Arab
opinion now sides with Iraq and Iran against the U.S. and Israel. Most
Americans fear discussing the issues candidly, since criticism of Israel
draws accusations of anti-semitism from the Zionist lobby, which is as
though criticism of the Nazis were proof of anti-German feeling. The United
States has reached an untenable condition in which only Jews feel free to
criticize Israel. Here are some salient points of world opinion. Key U.S.
officials, including Madeleine Albright, are Jewish. The story that she was
surprised to discover her Jewish origin is not credible. The statement by
Vice-President Gore that this played no role in her appointment reflects
the widespread opinion that in fact it did. The U.S. has a double standard
in its assessment of Israel and Iran. We condemn the Islamic
fundamentalists of Iran but not the Jewish Orthodox leaders of Israel, who
insult American Conservative and Reform Jews, not to mention the secular
ones. The PLO says it wants a secular state. Israel should set an example
by being one itself. President Truman showed his ignorance of Middle
affairs when, in recognizing Israel, he disregarded the warnings of the
State Department and of the Foreign Office. Their warnings have proved to
be correct. Like it or not, this is the opinion of much of the world.
Ronald Hilton, 03/15/98
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Re: Iran and the Arab World
My memo about the need for frankness in our discussions about the Middle
East
has been generally applauded, even by Jewish members of WAIS. Among the
comments received was this one by Siegfried Ramler of the East-West Center
in Hawaii, whom those of you who attended our conference on war crimes will
remember for his excellent presentation:
Iran is sending out feelers , however tentative, towards a dialogue. At
this point it is not clear whether the secular and religious leadership is
in agreement on softening Iran's stance. For us it is an opportunity to
work towards engagement in concert with other members of the United Nations
community. Unless we do so, we risk becoming even more isolated.
The current crisis situation in the Gulf region, provided an explosion can
be avoided, offers an opportunity for a long range international initiative
towards economic and political stability. The key is resolute and
imaginative engagement, pointing towards the eventual creation of a
regional structure similar to APEC, which would focus on cooperation in the
use of resources and a willingness to exchange a narrow nationalistic
agenda for stability, economic viability and peace. Given the
intransigence of the current regimes, this approach may sound utopian. Yet
the alternative offers nothing but continuing collision and discord. At
the same time engagement cannot be acceptable if it means appeasement of a
dangerous situation. (Here is the rub!) Ideally this international
initiative should encompass the entire Middle East, including the
intractable Arab-Israeli issue.
Siegfried Ramler
Visiting Fellow
East-West Center
sramler@lava.net
Ronald Hilton, 03/15/98
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