US and Iran

I have been reading a history of US and Persian/Iranian relations. Seeing how the people in Iran went from seeing the US as role models then to protectors to oppressors is staggering. It didn't take long for the US to dive into coups and countercoups to establish a pro US government. And to back the Shah, no matter what campaign promises about human rights were spouted up til 1979. My experience previous to this has been my own memories of the US hostages from 79-80. I remember the yellow ribbons and the 444 days. I just remember wondering how can these people hate us so much? Now I think I have a better idea. Its more than just Islamic Fundamentalism, though that plays a big part. It is about how people were treated and basically exploited for decades. That is bound to build up resentment.

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Northwest · M

Islamic Fundamentalist states, get along fabulously with conservative US administrations (or US administrations in general). Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE...

The Persian Empire ceased to exit in 331 BCE. I try to refer to Iranians as Iranians :-)

The Shah was there, long before we got to the scene, but western powers have long exploited the natural resources of other countries. In the case of post WWII Iran, the British, and BP, felt that they own Iran's oil.

The Shah was corrupt, but weak. So, in 1953, when the democratically elected PM, tried his hands at reforms, that would give Iran a say, in how its natural resources are used, the British convinced to Eisenhower that Iran is going communist. The Shah had fled Iran, fearing that he might lose his money.

So the British and the US staged a coup, forcing the Shah to return to Iran, and deposing Musaddagh. What followed was the rise of Iran's secret police, jailing/torture/executions of opposition figures, mass corruption, the parceling out of government contracts to the Shah's entourage, etc.

What on the surface looked like a country that looked up to the US, was actually a minority, making a fabulous living, thanks to the privileges handed to them by the Shah and the US, and a vast majority, living in poverty, abused, neglected and uneducated.

That's when religion came in, and promised a better life. They also did not forget the root cause of their problems: the USA.

The first US President to acknowledge that, was Barack Obama. During his first foreign trip, he gave a speech at Cairo University, where he did a mea culpa, hoping that would fix things. It did not, and the hardliners insisted that it's temporary, and US Presidents come and go. And, of course, Obama went, and Trump came.

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Northwest · M

@Reflection2 The first Afghan administration, post US invasion, was corrupt to the core. The new President set up his entourage in high places, in charge of the all the contracts. They siphoned off $Bs into foreign accounts, and the Bush administration was delivering bags of cash, in return for royalty. Most of it went to abusive warlords, who were warlords back in the Soviet days, but we did not care, as the cold war necons were in charge.

Ashraf Ghani, is the opposite of Hamid Karzai. Ghani is a former Professor at Berkeley and Columbia University. In the world of academia, he was a well respected multi-disciplinarian, combining anthropology with economics.

However, when he assumed the Presidency, all the money that was supposed to be there, was gone, with nothing to show for it, and it was already the beginning of the end of the new Afghan government.

So, while you can't root corruption out 100% in a place like Afghanistan, corruption moved from being institutionalized, to localized to certain segments, especially the military, and Ghani had to walk to right rope.

The biggest indication that the Ghani government was not corrupt by design? his finance minister, also a well respected academic, is currently driving for Uber in Washington, D.C., to help support his family.

Reflection2 · M

@Northwest It's a well description base on ground realities. Ghani's hands were always tied up and specially in front of powerful warlords who were real rulers in their own zone over different areas of Afghanistan. Ghani's only inability was his lack of understanding and not having strong ground roots in Afghanistan. Their tribal culture usually doesn't accept people of power who have no roots in their tribes. Anyway, Afghanistan is very complicated tribal culture, where loyalty is usually bound to tribe than state.

Northwest · M

@Reflection2

Ghani's only inability was his lack of understanding and not having strong ground roots in Afghanistan.

Ghani went to high school in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He went to undergrad school in Beirut, Lebanon, and ended up marrying one of his classmates, a Lebanese Catholic. He went to Grad school in New York, and spent most of his years after that, teaching at Berkeley and Columbia.

He has two kids, and his daughter is closeted in Afghanistan (not sure she's ever been there), but in the US, she is happily living with her female partner, so there's no chance he discusses her publicly. Having a foreign Catholic wife also probably did not help.

So yes, you're right, he does not understand the local tribal culture, and he was always at odds with Obama, because Ghani insisted that you can change culture, by showing people what's "right" and what's "wrong". Reality says it does not work that way.

Reflection2 · M

Iranian people in general are very found of USA.

on the other hand, USA and Iranian extablihsment are exactly same. Poking and messing in other countries affairs. Both over ambitious to secure their political goals over middle East. No difference.

Justme22 · M

@Reflection2 That is the mistake to assume that all people agree with the reigning government.

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